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Rare bipartisan gun control bill on bump fire stocks ... - CNN.com
www.cnn.com/2017/10/10/politics/bump-stocks-gun-control-bill.../index.html
Rare bipartisan gun control bill on bump fire stocks introduced following Las Vegas massacre
Johnson backs bump stock ban after Vegas 01:01
Story highlights
- Bump stocks allow semi-automatic weapons to fire at a rapidly increased pace
- Legislation related to gun control has had a difficult time advancing in recent years
(CNN)Bipartisan
legislation banning gun accessories known as bump fire stocks was
formally introduced Tuesday in the House of Representatives, led by one
of the most politically endangered House Republicans, Florida Rep.
Carlos Curbelo.
The
rare effort by 20 members of both parties to restrict these devices
follows the mass shooting in Las Vegas that left 58 dead and hundreds
more injured.
Guns found in the hotel of Vegas shooter Steven Paddock had been modified with bump stocks, which allow
semi-automatic weapons to fire ammunition much more rapidly, similar to
the rate of automatic weapons. The accessories are legal and currently
the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and Explosives does not
regulate their manufacture and sale following a legal opinion issued
under the Obama administration.
"For
the first time in decades, there is growing bipartisan consensus for
sensible gun policy, a polarizing issue that has deeply divided
Republicans and Democrats," Curbelo said in a written statement
accompanying the legislation.
Despite
a string of mass shootings in recent years, gun control legislation has
failed to make significant progress in Congress. Democrats controlled
the Senate in 2013 but failed to get the votes to tighten background
check rules after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in
Connecticut in 2012 killed 20 children and six adults, and subsequent
efforts to revive similar proposals have failed in the GOP-controlled
Congress.
Curbelo's
district is already expected to be one of the most hotly contested
battlegrounds in the 2018 midterms. Along with Massachusetts Rep. Seth
Moulton, the lead Democrat introducing the bill, he required that any
lawmaker who co-sponsored the bill had to sign on with a member of the
opposite party.
In addition to
Curbelo, nine other House Republicans are original co-sponsors, and most
of them represent districts that Hillary Clinton won in 2016. Two GOP
members -- Rep. Charlie Dent of Pennsylvania and Rep. Ileana
Ros-Lehtinen of Florida -- have already announced that they plan to
retire after this session of Congress. Several conservative House
Republicans who have sponsored legislation loosening gun restrictions
have publicly said they were open to a debate on the issue, but none are
officially backing it yet.
Following the shooting, many Republicans on Capitol Hill admitted they didn't know bump stocks existed, how they worked or the fact that they were so readily available. Many GOP members said they would review any legislation outlawing them,
but top leaders and gun rights groups are also suggesting that there's a
way to use new regulations to address the issue and avoid votes on a
ban.
Last
week House Speaker Paul Ryan pointed out that fully automatic weapons
are already banned and noted that there's already an effort to study
whether stricter guidance from an executive branch agency is possible.
"We
need to look at how we can tighten up the compliance with this law, so
that they are -- so that fully automatic weapons are banned," Ryan said
last week. "We need to go back and figure out how this happened in the
first place. ... There's a big regulatory question, and then we just
have to do more research to find out what's the best way to make sure
that the spirit of law is upheld."
But
many Democrats argue that legislation is needed to ensure these devices
aren't allowed, and the bipartisan House bill introduced Tuesday
closely mirrors a measure introduced last week by a group of House
Democrats. While many Democrats are pleased that some Republicans are
willing to speak out publicly on a gun control issue after years of
little real action on Capitol Hill, some are worried this type of
targeted measure may draw attention away from broader efforts to beef up
background check laws.
"We can
always be doing more, but this bill is a crucial starting point,"
Moulton said in a written statement. "Congress needs to take a serious
look, after every crisis, at whether a law consistent with the Second
Amendment would have prevented it. It is time for Democrats and
Republicans alike to find the courage to act."
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