Republicans Willing To Consider Gun Reform Laws After Las Vegas Shooting

 

By Amanda Froelich Truth Theory

Last Sunday night, the worst mass shooting in U.S. history occurred during the Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas, Nevada. 59 people were killed and approximately 527 were injured. In the days since the incident, it has been learned that the gunman’s firearms were modified with bump stocks. The legal accessories can be attached to a semiautomatic rifle to give it a similar fire rate to a fully automatic weapon. In this case, it allowed 64-year-old Stephen Paddock to fire hundreds of shots a minute into a crowd of 22,000 people.

In wake of this revelation, the National Rifle Association (NRA) announced that it would support efforts to make such modifications more difficult to acquire. In a statement, the organization said: “The NRA believes that devices designed to allow semi-automatic rifles to function like fully-automatic rifles should be subject to additional regulations.”

As Distractify reports, the NRA is the biggest gun rights group in the country, so this development came as a surprise to many. Most importantly, the NRA’s announcement seems to have given Republican Senators more leeway to propose legislation on restricting the sale of legal bump stocks.

“Look at Las Vegas. That’s how I account for it. Americans are horrified by it. They’re horrified, and they should be,” said Senator John McCain. House Speaker Paul Ryan, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte — all Republicans — added that they would consider additional restrictions on bump stocks. Their declaration was supported by more than a dozen other Senate Republicans.

Said Ryan: “I didn’t know what a bump stock was until this week. A lot of us are coming up to speed. . . . Having said that, fully automatic weapons have been outlawed for many, many years. This seems to be a way of going around that, so obviously we need to look how we can tighten up the compliance with this law so that fully automatic weapons are banned.”

 

Hopefully, the move doesn’t come too late. As The Guardian reports, bump stocks out at a record pace after it was announced the Las Vegas shooter used the device. Cabelas, Cheaper Than Dirt and Walmart were all sold out by Thursday morning — a questionable response following this recent tragedy.

Read more: 5 Devastating Facts About Firearm Use In The United States

IMAGE CREDIT:stephaniefrey / 123RF Stock Photo

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I am Luke Miller, content manager at Truth Theory and creator of Potential For Change. I like to blend psychology and spirituality to help you create more happiness in your life.Grab a copy of my free 33 Page Illustrated eBook- Psychology Meets Spirituality- Secrets To A Supercharged Life You Control Here