The Reason Miss America Was Considering Not Attending the Inauguration May Surprise You

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 19: Miss America Mallory Hagan attends the Inaugural Youth Ball hosted by OurTime. org on January 19, 2013 in Washington, United States. Credit: Getty Images for OurTime.org

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Mallory Hagan says her first week as Miss America has been amazing, but she's not sure she's going to Inauguration Day because of the weather. (​She is now going -- see the update below.)*

Hagan said in an interview Saturday that it may be too cold to attend President Barack Obama's public swearing in ceremony Monday. She says she has a ticket and is "in the middle of deciding if she'll go" because "it's going to be freezing."

Hagan spoke at an event for OurTime.org, which featured will.i.am and John Legend.

LAS VEGAS, NV - JANUARY 12: Mallory Hytes Hagan, Miss New York, competes in the evening gown competition during the 2013 Miss America Pageant at PH Live at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino on January 12, 2013 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Hagan went on to be crowned the new Miss America. Credit: Getty Images

Hagan won the Miss America title last week. The 23-year-old was born in Alabama, but moved to New York at 18. She was named Miss New York last year and lives in Brooklyn.

She says she feels "overwhelmed, excited, humbled" after having the crown for a week.

*​UPDATE:

In a statement to Politco, Hagan says she is now going (and admitted she was being a "wimp"):

“I am; I am going,” Mallory Hagan, who was recently crowned Miss America, said Sunday. “We were concerned about a few things, travel being one of them, and also, I was being a bit of a wimp and thinking that it might be cold, but I know that the weather says it’s going to be about 52 tomorrow, and I’ve been graciously gifted a down coat, so I’ll be there with bells on, and I’m very excited.”

Additionally, the Alabama native who won after being Miss New York, admitted she voted for Obama. She also expanded on gun control comments she made recently:

“I actually did grow up with a father who hunts; I’ve been hunting myself; and I just think the best thing we can do is just be educated about the best ways we can go about handling gun control and kind of take care of this as a nation, so we make sure everyone is protected and everyone still has the rights that they’ve been granted,” she said,

Hagan, who said she voted for Obama, reiterated her support for a “longer waiting period” before aspiring gun owners can walk away with a weapon.

“I just think when you go in to purchase a gun, the ability to have a longer waiting period would benefit everyone, so no one is making rash decisions, and there’s time for that background check, and there’s time for the person who is purchasing the gun, has time to think about that purpose as well,” she said.