WASHINGTON, D.C. — While talk of impeachment consumes Washington, a hearing focused on assault weapons was held Wednesday on Capitol Hill and Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley was one of the witnesses who testified.

Whaley delivered her opening statement first and recounted how nine lives were taken and 26 others were injured in just 32 seconds when a gunman used an assault weapon in the Oregon District last month.

“I’m here today on behalf of the citizens of Dayton and mayors across the country to ask you to keep weapons like this off of our streets,” Whaley said. “I’m here to ask you to do something.”

Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee called the hearing “Protecting America From Assault Weapons.” They spoke mostly about reinstating a ban on them, which expired in 2004.

But Republicans, like Ohio Representative Steve Chabot (R, 1st Congressional District), insisted that’s the wrong approach.

“Contrary to the majority’s belief, there’s really no conclusive evidence that the weapons ban had any appreciable affect on mass shootings or violent crime,” Chabot said during the hearing.

But an NYU School of Medicine report published in January found that, “Mass-shooting related homicides in the United States were reduced during the years of the federal assault weapons ban of 1994 to 2004.”

Still, Republicans argued on Wednesday that a new ban would infringe on Americans’ Second Amendment rights.

“What this legislation will do is make it more difficult for law-abiding people like you, like all kinds of folks, to protect themselves when some bad guy is bent on doing something wrong,” said Rep. Jim Jordan (R, 4th Congressional District).

Spectrum Washington reporter Taylor Popielarz tried to speak with Chabot and Jordan when they walked out of the hearing, but both said they were in a rush.

Whaley did speak with Spectrum. She said Jordan’s rhetoric is painful and sometimes embarrassing to hear, but that Chabot came up to her during the hearing and was gracious, even though they disagree on an assault weapons ban.

“The frustrating thing about this town is you come here and it’s so hard to get common sense movement on ways that we can save lives,” Whaley said, "and that’s why it’s so important that Dayton’s voice is heard here, to be a place of like, ‘Hey, let’s get it done. Let’s do something. Let’s have some common sense in Washington, D.C.’”

The White House is reportedly still talking with members of Congress about figuring out some type of gun control legislation, but President Trump has made clear that an assault weapons ban is not something he will support.