Some Republicans have gone on the record as being open to banning these Bump-stock devices like the ones used in the Vegas shooting:
PBS – Senior congressional Republicans say they are open to considering legislation banning “bump stocks” like the shooter in Las Vegas apparently used to make semi-automatic rifles perform more like fully automatic weapons.
“If somebody can essentially convert a semi-automatic weapon by buying one of these and utilizing it and cause the kind of mayhem and mass casualties that we saw in Las Vegas, that’s something of obvious concern that we ought to explore,” Cornyn told reporters.
“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.”
Cornyn later said he’d spoken with Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, and that Grassley was interested in convening a hearing.
At least one Republican senator, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, said outright he was prepared to vote to ban “bump stocks.” ”I have no problem in banning those,” he said.
Sen. John Thune of South Dakota, the No. 3 Republican senator, said, “I’m interested in finding out more about bump stocks and I’ve got my staff looking into that and I know there are other members interested in finding out more about it as well.”
Even so, asked Tuesday about “bump stocks” and whether they should be legal, McConnell, R-Ky., said it was not an appropriate time to be discussing legislation.
Ryan, R-Wis., made similar comments Wednesday in a radio interview on WISN in Milwaukee.
“What I don’t think you want your government to do is to lurch toward reactions before even having all the facts,” Ryan said. “Bad people are going to do bad things.”
It sounds like at the very least some Republicans will holding hearings to find out more about this bump-stock device that allows the full-auto conversion of some semi-automatic rifles.
But as I’ve said before, I’m betting they end up banning these devices completely.