Following the Las Vegas massacre, public discourse revolving around “bump stocks” — the devices used by gunman Stephen Paddock to make his semi-automatic weapons fire like fully-automatic ones — has taken root. Several GOP congressmen have said they would support a ban after the Democratic introduction of a bill in the Senate. House Speaker Paul Ryan has also spoken in favor of such a ban, and now, the National Rifle Association is adding their collective voice to the discussion.
Although the NRA is notorious for Second Amendment political lobbying, the association is taking an unexpected stance here. That is, they’re calling for a federal review on whether additional bump-stock regulations are needed. Here’s part of their statement:
“The National Rifle Association is calling on the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE) to immediately review whether these devices comply with federal law. The NRA believes that devices designed to allow semi-automatic rifles to function like fully-automatic rifles should be subject to additional regulations.”
However — and like Kellyanne Conway attempted to do while sparring with an exhausted Chris Cuomo — the NRA also points toward how the ATF “approved the sale of bump fire stocks on at least two occasions,” which last happened during the Obama administration. The Washington Post notes that this occurred under the direction of former official Rick Vasquez, an ex-Marine who previously described bump stocks as “a goofy little doodad” used by “guys who want to look like super ninja[s] when they’re out on the range.”
Needless to say, a truly bipartisan effort appears to be forming against bump stocks in recent days, so results may actually happen.
(Via Washington Post & CNN)