Texas Republican Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, a strong ally of the National Rifle Association and its legislative priorities, told CBS’s Face The Nation on Sunday that she could support tighter regulations of high-capacity magazines in the aftermath of the shooting in Newtown, Connecticut.

“You know, I think we ought to be looking at where the real danger is, like those large clips, I think that does need to be looked at,” Hutchison, who is retiring from the Senate, said. She added, “it’s the semi-automatics and those large magazines that can be fired off very quickly. You do have to pull the trigger each time, but it’s very quick.” Watch it:

Hutchison urged lawmakers to talk to real hunters who “say what is a sporting rifle capability that continues this for” and also address some of the violence in American culture.

The NRA has taken any discussion of gun control off the table, arguing that government should instead station armed security guards in schools, limit cultural violence, repair the mental health system, and get tough on crime. Though group endorsed Gov. Rick Perry (R-TX) in his gubernatorial primary against Hutchision in 2010, the Texas chapter of the organization gave her an A+ rating, noting that it is the policy of the group to endorse incumbents.

During Sunday’s Meet the Press, the National Rifle Association’s Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre sat down with host David Gregory and defended his organization’s universally panned call for armed guards to be stationed at every school in the country.

The NRA’s tone-deaf press conference on Friday has been widely criticized by all corners of the political arena, and several commentators were quick to point out that armed guards stationed at Columbine High School, Virginia Tech and Fort Hood in Texas were all unable to prevent mass shootings. But LaPierre dismissed those cases on Sunday, and said that lawmakers should be willing to try anything that might work. Anything, noted David Gregory, so long as it doesn’t involve guns and ammunition:

GREGORY:This is a matter of logic, Mr. LaPierre, because anybody watching this is going to say ‘hey wait a minute. I just heard Mr. LaPierre say that the standard is we should try anything that might reduce the violence. And you’re telling me that it’s not a matter of common sense that if you don’t have an ability to shoot off 30 rounds without reloading, that just possibly you could reduce the loss of life? Would Adam Lanza have been able to shoot as many kids if he didn’t have as much ammunition?’

LAPIERRE: I don’t buy your argument for a minute.

Watch it:

NRA-ally and former Congressman Asa Hutchison was equally dismissive of a debate on gun control during an interview on ABC’s This Week. “I would make the point when it comes to more restrictions on firearms in our society…I think that is really the wrong debate to have,” he said on Sunday. Hutchison has been selected by the NRA to head their campaign to put a gun in every school

But the debate is coming. Senator Diane Feinstein (D-CA) has already promised to introduce a bill that will limit one’s ability to own assault weapons and high-capacity clips like the ones used by the shooters at Sandy Hook and Aurora, Colorado this year, but LaPierre called it “a phony piece of legislation” and said that it was “all built on lies.”

The NRA has been busy in the last few days putting out fires, and has watched as several staunch pro-gun lawmakers — like Republican Senator Susan Collins and Democratic Senator Mark Warner — have announced that they would be open to a conversation on additional regulations on the industry. And even the organization’s 4 million members are in favor of stricter regulations on who can own and purchase guns.

On Fox News Sunday this morning, Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) refused to answer questions about any specific gun control legislation he would consider supporting in the aftermath of the Newtown shooting. Host Chris Wallace referenced the suggestion made by the NRA’s Wayne LaPierre that schools need more armed guards and also President Obama’s call for more gun control, but all Barrasso could offer is that he is a “strong supporter of our Second Amendment rights.”

In fact, he suggested he might not support any relevant national legislation because “Washington is not necessarily the place” to find “real solutions”:

BARRASSO: We are, the people of Wyoming and me personally, still absolutely committed to find real solutions that work so nothing like this tragedy ever happens again… I think decisions about schools ought to be made at the local level. I would not want a national effort to say you have to do this in schools. I think local education decisions are best made at the local level. You know, we’re going to have a very spirited discussion in Congress, in the beginning of next year. We need to look at all of the issues, because what Wayne LaPierre and what the President of the United States agree on is that in this country, we have a culture of violence. [...]

I’m a strong supporter of our Second Amendment rights. I want to find real solutions. I want to find real solutions that work and Washington is not necessarily the place that you’re going to find those solutions. They will be found in our families and in our faith and communities and medicine and health care.

Watch it:

Barrasso claimed that health care is part of the solution to the “culture of violence,” but he has led the effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act. The American Psychiatric Association has said the law is crucial to extending mental health parity throughout the health care system and expanding access to mental health services to prevent tragedies like the Newtown shooting in the future. He also has supported decreased funding for health programs.

The NRA endorsed Barrasso this year, awarding him with an “A” rating for his support of their positions.