A month after Las Vegas shooting, there's still no bump stock regulation

[IronLionZion]

http://www.cnn.com/2017/11/01/politics/bump-stock-gun-debate-congress/index.html

Washington (CNN)Many lawmakers, both Democratic and Republican, agreed one response to the deadliest mass shooting in modern US history should be to ban the sale of bump stocks -- but a month later, they are still legal and neither Congress nor the agency in charge of controlling such devices appear to be taking steps to outlaw them.

A bump fire stock, also known as a bump stock, is a device that enables semi-automatic rifles to fire more rapidly, similar to automatic weapons. Twelve of them were found on firearms recovered from the gunman's Las Vegas hotel room.

Gun control legislation has failed to make any progress in Congress after each mass shooting, and the Las Vegas massacre appears to be no different.

After the massacre, lawmakers first responded by saying they, including House Speaker Paul Ryan, didn't even know what a bump stock was.

Ryan then called for a regulatory fix for bump fire stocks earlier, rather than passing legislation that was proposed in the House and Senate.

"We think the regulatory fix is the smartest, quickest fix," he said when asked about how to address the devices.
Also in response at the time, nine Republican senators sent a letter to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives asking the agency to review its policy on bump fire stock.

"We recognize that it is impossible to prevent tragedy and acts of 'pure evil,' in the words of our President," the senators wrote. "We believe, however, the tragic events in Las Vegas brought to light an issue from this past administration that we respectfully request that your Bureau swiftly review,"

Trump wants to ban immigrants instead. That will solve the problem

[spanone]

1. ...and there never will be. nra owns congress.

[IronLionZion]

2. But bump stocks?

That's something that even the NRA has spoken out against. It's within the executive power of Trump's ATF to ban them. He could do it today if he wanted to.

[DetroitLegalBeagle]

5. The ATF has already said due to how the laws are written, their hands are tied

[link:http://www.npr.org/2017/10/13/557440570/lawmakers-say-the-atf-should-regulate-bump-stocks-its-not-that-simple|

You are correct, in the sense that the ATF could reverse its decision and ban them for some arbitrary reason, but due to how the law defines machine guns and due to how the ATF has already approved them for sale, any such reversal would inevitably wind up in court, which the ATF would likely lose in. By statute, a machine gun fires more then 1 bullet per a single pull of the trigger. A semi auto gun fires 1 bullet per 1 pull of the trigger. Bump stocks do not change this as the shooter's finger is still pulling back on the trigger for every shot.

Congress must act but lacks the spine to do so.

[sarisataka]

14. Were I an ATF agent

I would reconsider that ruling.

IMO it it one continuous pull by the shooter, which is the definition of an automatic weapon. The bump stock affects the pull with no change in the part of the operator

[IronLionZion]

16. They could consider rate of fire instead of trigger pulls

[sarisataka]

19. Possibly but there are issues

As in many cases the rate of fire is dependent on the operator. The bill to ban bump stocks, as I understand, attempted to address it via the rate of fire but was not well written. Vague terminology meant it could be read in such a way that standard lubricants would be banned since it could be interpreted they affect the rate of fire. That was the reason given for the NRA reversal.

I don't really believe the NRA or Republicans were intended to do more than pay lip service in any case.

[spanone]

11. the nra wanted to dictate how the bump stocks would be regulated....

from october 13


NRA opposes bump fire stocks bills in Congress

(CNN)The National Rifle Association says it is opposed to new legislation in the US Senate and the House that would ban the production and sale of "bump fire stocks," a firearm accessory that allows semi-automatic weapons to fire at a more rapid pace like automatic ones.

Bump stocks became a major source of discussion on Capitol Hill over the last two weeks after the attachments were found on guns of Las Vegas shooter Stephen Paddock. In the Senate, Democrat Dianne Feinstein of California introduced a bill that would make it illegal for companies to make and individuals to buy bump stocks. Rep. Carlos Curbelo, a Florida Republican, also introduced a bipartisan bill in the House of Representatives banning the bump stocks.

"The ATF should review bump-fire stocks to ensure they comply with federal law," said Jennifer Baker, spokeswoman for the Institute for Legislative Action at the NRA, referencing the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. "We oppose the gun-control legislation being offered by Senator Feinstein and Representatives Curbelo and Moulton. These bills are intentionally overreaching and would ban commonly owned firearm accessories."

In lieu of the legislation, the NRA have begun pushing for an administrative fix. In a letter last week, the NRA's leadership Chris Cox and Wayne LaPierre argued that bump stocks should be subject to regulation, but that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms should make the regulatory changes essentially avoiding an all-out legislative fight over gun control on the floor of the House or Senate.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/10/12/politics/nra-opposes-bump-stock-bills/index.html

[hatrack]

3. Was anybody expecting that there would be?

[IronLionZion]

4. The NRA publicly called for it

There was plenty of support from both parties

[hatrack]

13. Well . . .

There's what the NRA says - a single glimmer of sanity in the wake the biggest mass shooting in modern American history - amid the flickering darkness of paranoia, hate, fear and ever-increasing desperation to sell more guns more guns more guns.

Then there's what the NRA does - whatever it can to engorge the flickering darkness of paranoia, hate and fear in its desperation to keep on selling more guns more guns more guns.

Who cares what the NRA says?

[dpd3672]

6. To be honest

There really isn't much of ANYTHING about the LV shooting.

Seems like the news agencies and/or the public just lost interest a week or so in. No speculation about his motives, no human interest stories about recovering victims, no interviews with past associates...it's like it never happened if you watch the news today.

Have we simply lost interest in these types of stories, or is there some other factor at play?

He wrote a note, supposedly, but you'd think we'd have some idea of the contents by now, for starters.

Columbine, Sandy Hook, Paris attacks...these stories were in the headlines for MONTHS. It seems very strange to me how quickly the media/public lost interest...even on social media.

[bdamomma]

8. welcome to DU

no you don't hear anything about it, killed all those people and not even a peep out of Congress, NRA has Congress by the balls.

[IronLionZion]

9. Welcome to DU!

unfortunately it looks like it has happened so often that Americans have gotten used to it and life goes on. We have become a country where anyone at anytime can decide to kill us with dangerous and powerful weapons, and nothing gets done to prevent it.

[lagomorph777]

7. No, but thank goodness they're inspecting every cell in the shooter's brain.

I'm the answer to gun violence is in there somewhere.

[lunasun]

15. They tried in my state, Illinois . Bill failed to pass last week

6 days ago · SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- Lawmakers in the Illinois House of Representatives soundly rejected a ban on gun modifications known as "bump stocks"
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/bump-stocks-ban-illinois-house-votes-against-measure/

[Nitram]

17. There will be no bump stock regulation.

From the GOP playbook, fake to the left, run to the right.

[Wounded Bear]

18. They blew that off in about 3 days...nt

[Initech]

20. The NRA fucking sucks.

They are nothing more than an ultra far right institute that panders to the craziest among us. They do nothing good for society but bring death and destruction, and obstruction when it comes to any meaningful legislation. They have to go.