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| Republicans open to ban on bump-stock devices used in Las Vegas shooting | Republicans open to ban on bump-stock devices used in Las Vegas shooting |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Republican leaders have said they will consider restrictions on “bump-stock” devices that can turn guns into rapid-fire weapons, raising the prospect of the first US gun control legislation for years. | Republican leaders have said they will consider restrictions on “bump-stock” devices that can turn guns into rapid-fire weapons, raising the prospect of the first US gun control legislation for years. |
| “Fully automatic weapons have been banned for a long time,” the House speaker, Paul Ryan, told MSNBC on Thursday. “Apparently, this [the bump stock] allows you to take a semi-automatic and turn it into a fully automatic. So clearly that’s something we need to look into.” | |
| A mass shooting on Sunday night in Las Vegas that left 58 victims plus the gunman dead and wounded nearly 500 has reopened debate around the need for tougher gun laws. | A mass shooting on Sunday night in Las Vegas that left 58 victims plus the gunman dead and wounded nearly 500 has reopened debate around the need for tougher gun laws. |
| Officials said 12 of the rifles authorities recovered from the hotel suite used by gunman Stephen Paddock were fitted with bump stocks, allowing them to perform almost like fully automatic weapons. | Officials said 12 of the rifles authorities recovered from the hotel suite used by gunman Stephen Paddock were fitted with bump stocks, allowing them to perform almost like fully automatic weapons. |
| “I didn’t even know what they were until this week,” said Ryan, a frequent hunter, in an interview with host Hugh Hewitt. “I think we’re quickly coming up to speed with what this is.” | “I didn’t even know what they were until this week,” said Ryan, a frequent hunter, in an interview with host Hugh Hewitt. “I think we’re quickly coming up to speed with what this is.” |
| He offered no other details about what action the Republican-controlled House might take on bump-stock devices, or what the timeline would be. But the remarks signalled a shift for a party that has thwarted legislative reform over the past decade, even as the horrors of Virginia Tech, Sandy Hook and Orlando have piled up. | He offered no other details about what action the Republican-controlled House might take on bump-stock devices, or what the timeline would be. But the remarks signalled a shift for a party that has thwarted legislative reform over the past decade, even as the horrors of Virginia Tech, Sandy Hook and Orlando have piled up. |
| Nevertheless, for many anti-gun activists, curtailing these devices would be only the minimum Congress could do to tackle America’s long-running and intractable problem with gun violence, responsible for far more deaths per head than any other comparable country. | Nevertheless, for many anti-gun activists, curtailing these devices would be only the minimum Congress could do to tackle America’s long-running and intractable problem with gun violence, responsible for far more deaths per head than any other comparable country. |
| If that’s the only action we take after 58 Americans are shot and killed, we should be ashamed of ourselves | If that’s the only action we take after 58 Americans are shot and killed, we should be ashamed of ourselves |
| “Of course bump stocks should be prohibited, but if that’s the only action we take after 58 Americans are shot and killed and hundreds more injured, we should be ashamed of ourselves,” said Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. | “Of course bump stocks should be prohibited, but if that’s the only action we take after 58 Americans are shot and killed and hundreds more injured, we should be ashamed of ourselves,” said Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. |
| “I’m glad Congress is willing to consider bump-stock legislation now, but just last week lawmakers were fighting to roll back gun silencer safety laws and gut our nation’s concealed carry system. We’ll work with legislators interested in prohibiting bump stocks, but we’ll also demand other laws to help save American lives. Now is the time to demand that lawmakers prioritise people over gun manufacturers’ profits.” | |
| Senator Chris Murphy, Democrat of Connecticut, has outlined “a menu” of gun control measures he plans to introduce, including to expand background checks and to restrict people convicted of domestic violence from obtaining a gun. | Senator Chris Murphy, Democrat of Connecticut, has outlined “a menu” of gun control measures he plans to introduce, including to expand background checks and to restrict people convicted of domestic violence from obtaining a gun. |
| Other recent mass shootings have seen calls for legislative action melt away in the face of opposition from the NRA and pro-gun Republicans. | Other recent mass shootings have seen calls for legislative action melt away in the face of opposition from the NRA and pro-gun Republicans. |
| Ryan’s comments followed a call on Wednesday by the Senate’s No 2 Republican, John Cornyn, for an examination of bump stocks. “I own a lot of guns and as a hunter and sportsman I think that’s our right as Americans, but I don’t understand the use of this bump stock, and that’s another reason to have a hearing,” he told reporters. | Ryan’s comments followed a call on Wednesday by the Senate’s No 2 Republican, John Cornyn, for an examination of bump stocks. “I own a lot of guns and as a hunter and sportsman I think that’s our right as Americans, but I don’t understand the use of this bump stock, and that’s another reason to have a hearing,” he told reporters. |
| Another Republican senator, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, said: “I have no problem in banning those.” | Another Republican senator, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, said: “I have no problem in banning those.” |
| Democrats are pushing for a ban on the devices, which are selling out as gun enthusiasts react to reports they may be outlawed. | Democrats are pushing for a ban on the devices, which are selling out as gun enthusiasts react to reports they may be outlawed. |
| On Thursday Chuck Schumer, the Senate minority leader, made a direct appeal to Donald Trump to intervene without reference to his allies in the National Rifle Association (NRA). | On Thursday Chuck Schumer, the Senate minority leader, made a direct appeal to Donald Trump to intervene without reference to his allies in the National Rifle Association (NRA). |
| “Mr President, you know what the right thing to do is,” Schumer said on the Senate floor. “I say to President Trump: come out and say that you support and would sign a law to ban bump stocks, the modification used by the Las Vegas gunman to make his weapons automatic. That’s small, and it’s the right thing to do. Don’t wait for the NRA to make up their mind. Do it.” | “Mr President, you know what the right thing to do is,” Schumer said on the Senate floor. “I say to President Trump: come out and say that you support and would sign a law to ban bump stocks, the modification used by the Las Vegas gunman to make his weapons automatic. That’s small, and it’s the right thing to do. Don’t wait for the NRA to make up their mind. Do it.” |
| Democratic senator Dianne Feinstein has also called for bump stocks to be banned. Congressman David Cicilline has also proposed a ban with a bill in the House that he said has 148 co-sponsors. None are Republicans, he told CNN, although he is talking with about five or six to seek their support. | Democratic senator Dianne Feinstein has also called for bump stocks to be banned. Congressman David Cicilline has also proposed a ban with a bill in the House that he said has 148 co-sponsors. None are Republicans, he told CNN, although he is talking with about five or six to seek their support. |
| “I think there is bipartisan interest,” he said. | “I think there is bipartisan interest,” he said. |
| Bump stocks were originally intended to help people with limited hand mobility fire a semi-automatic without the individual trigger pulls required. They harness the recoil of the gun to allow the user to fire much faster than if they repeatedly pulled the trigger – as the rifle recoils, the trigger bumps forward into the shooter’s finger to speed up the rate of fire. Automatic weapons have been largely illegal for decades, but bump-stock devices offer a way around this. | |
| In a separate move, Democratic congressman Adam Schiff and Senator Richard Blumenthal have reintroduced legislation to hold gun manufacturers, sellers and interest groups accountable when they are deemed to have acted with negligence. | |
| Schiff said: “This bill would pierce the gun industry’s liability shield by putting an end to the special protections the gun industry receives when they shirk their fundamental responsibility to act with reasonable care for the public safety.” | Schiff said: “This bill would pierce the gun industry’s liability shield by putting an end to the special protections the gun industry receives when they shirk their fundamental responsibility to act with reasonable care for the public safety.” |
| Trump visited Las Vegas on Wednesday but when asked about gun control measures, said: “We’re not going to talk about that today.” | Trump visited Las Vegas on Wednesday but when asked about gun control measures, said: “We’re not going to talk about that today.” |
| Las Vegas plans to open a memorial “healing garden” on Friday with 58 trees to honour each of those killed in the massacre. It will also have a wall of remembrance, flowers, walkways and benches, “all to create something beautiful out of something horrific”, a city news release said. | Las Vegas plans to open a memorial “healing garden” on Friday with 58 trees to honour each of those killed in the massacre. It will also have a wall of remembrance, flowers, walkways and benches, “all to create something beautiful out of something horrific”, a city news release said. |
| Workers on Thursday were preparing soil at a roughly half-acre plot of vacant city-owned land at Charleston and Casino Center boulevards. | Workers on Thursday were preparing soil at a roughly half-acre plot of vacant city-owned land at Charleston and Casino Center boulevards. |
| Authorities embraced the idea after a local landscaping company, Stonerose Landscapes, proposed and designed the garden as a space for mourning, prayer and reflection. The magicians Siegfried and Roy are among those who have donated a tree. | Authorities embraced the idea after a local landscaping company, Stonerose Landscapes, proposed and designed the garden as a space for mourning, prayer and reflection. The magicians Siegfried and Roy are among those who have donated a tree. |
| The garden is due to be open amid First Friday events, a monthly arts festival which is going ahead as planned, a sign that the city is slowly returning to its routine. | The garden is due to be open amid First Friday events, a monthly arts festival which is going ahead as planned, a sign that the city is slowly returning to its routine. |
| A city council meeting on Wednesday had a moment’s silence for the victims before becoming a platform for competing views on gun control. “How stupid do we have to be to allow this to continue to happen?” said Bob Coffin, a Democrat, the LasVegas Review-Journal reported. He urged swift action to curb guns. “Hell, that’s not political, that’s survival.” | A city council meeting on Wednesday had a moment’s silence for the victims before becoming a platform for competing views on gun control. “How stupid do we have to be to allow this to continue to happen?” said Bob Coffin, a Democrat, the LasVegas Review-Journal reported. He urged swift action to curb guns. “Hell, that’s not political, that’s survival.” |
| A total of 160 firefighters from multiple fire departments across the city responded to the shooting, the Clark County fire chief, Greg Cassell, told reporters at a press conference. “Our response time to that incident, I can honestly say, for our first arrive unit, was less than five seconds.” | |
| Cassell described a chaotic scene as people jumped over fences, ran into taxi lanes and crowded into nearby hotels. The fire department received more than 32 reports of gunshot victims. A standby crew of 16 paramedics at the concert cared for victims as they were “literally under fire”, he added. | Cassell described a chaotic scene as people jumped over fences, ran into taxi lanes and crowded into nearby hotels. The fire department received more than 32 reports of gunshot victims. A standby crew of 16 paramedics at the concert cared for victims as they were “literally under fire”, he added. |
| Additional reporting by Lois Beckett | Additional reporting by Lois Beckett |