GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The majority of Congress apparently not ready to address gun law reform after a mass shooting that killed 59 people and wounded more than 500 in Las Vegas.
Wednesday morning, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D – CA, introduced a bill that would ban bump stocks, the hardware that easily convert a semi-automatic rifle into firing-like an automatic weapon. Police say the shooter in Las Vegas used 12 bump stocks to modify his semi-automatic rifles.
“How many more must die?” said Rep. John Lewis, D – GA, after walking down the steps of the Capitol Wednesday arm-in-arm with colleagues.
“Don’t tell me it’s about protecting the Second Amendment when you won’t stand up for the First Amendment. Don’t tell me this anything other than greed; greed, money and fear.”
FOX 17 reached out to the offices of Senators Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters, and Congressmen Fred Upton, Bill Huizenga and Justin Amash.
Only Fred Upton’s press secretary wrote FOX 17: “Fred believes we should continue to have a dialogue and take steps to make sure that every community is safe and firearms are kept out of the hands of criminals and terrorists.”
Officials with Senators Stabenow and Peters told FOX 17 they were extremely busy Wednesday.
Research shows that most Americans support various version of gun law reforms like background checks, bans on assault-style weapons and high-capacity magazines, and having a federal database to track gun sales.
The lingering gun reform in Congress before Sunday’s shooting was the Sportsmen’s Heritage and Recreational Enhancement (SHARE) Act. It would make buying silencers easier, make it more difficult for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to classify some ammunition as “armor piercing,” and loosen restrictions on transporting firearms between states. Recently introduced in the U.S. House, there is no vote currently set.
President Trump passed legislation at the end of February that revoked background checks for people who receive Social Security checks for mental illnesses as they purchase guns.
Sen. Feinstein announced a bill Wednesday to ban bump stocks, sharing her daughter was also originally going to attend the Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas.
“I don’t know what to do except to continue to fight because reason doesn’t control this situation,” said Sen. Feinstein.
“And when you see a country music festival, when you see 18-year-olds in boots and hats-my own daughter was going to go. I have an email from her. She was going to go with neighbors, and they, for one reason or another, both families decided they wouldn’t. They were going to stay at that hotel. That’s how close it came to me. And I just thank God. That’s just, it’s one of those misses in life. Could happen to any one of us.”
Feinstein authored the assault weapons ban that was law 1994 through 2004. A similar ban she introduced failed in 2013 after 26 children and adults were murdered in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.
