'Bump stocks' ban bill receives bipartisan support
Republicans in Congress have signaled to support legislation that would ban the use of “bump stocks,” the device authorities say permitted the Las Vegas gunman to transform his firearm to an automatic weapon.
Florida Congressman Carlos Curbelo (R) told FOX Business’ Stuart Varney that most members of Congress understand that bump stocks are flagrant and circumventions of current law.
“Automatic weapons are banned in our country and this device converts semiautomatic weapons into automatic weapons that can fire up to 800 rounds per minute,” Curbelo said on “Varney & Co.”
According to Jill Snyder, a special agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, the Las Vegas shooter who killed at least 58 and injured over 500 more had 12 bump stocks in his hotel room at the Mandalay Bay.
Curbelo wants to structure the legislation to prevent people from acquiring and making the accessory that accelerates the rate of fire on semiautomatic weapons.
“Some of the focus should be on the ability or the practice of converting weapons that are semiautomatic into automatic weapons. That’s what we want to prevent,” he said.
For decades, legislative limits on guns has been a heated debate on Capitol Hill as both parties find themselves in a gridlock over the Second Amendment right.
“Bipartisan cooperation has been elusive. If we can take this first step perhaps we can also look at other policies that both strengthen the Second Amendment,” Curbelo said.