While members of both parties push a new bill in the Congress to ban 'bump stocks,' an accessory used in the recent mass shooting in Las Vegas, House Speaker Paul Ryan signaled on Wednesday that he is more interested in just having the feds declare those items illegal for sale in the future, questioning why a government agency cleared 'bump stocks' in the first place.
"The regulatory fix is the smartest, quickest fix," Ryan told reporters, pointing out that the sale of bump stocks had been allowed to proceed during the Obama Administration by the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms.
"We are still trying to assess why the ATF let this go through in the first place," the Speaker added.
"It makes sense that this is a regulation that probably shouldn't have happened in the first place," the Speaker said, giving no indication that he thought the Congress should act on legislation related to the matter.
In the House, lawmakers from both parties have come together on a bill that would ban 'bump stocks' from sale in the United States - but there's no sign at this point that GOP leaders would schedule such a plan for a vote.
"For the first time in decades, there is growing bipartisan consensus for sensible gun policy, a polarizing issue that has deeply divided Republicans and Democrats,” said Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R-FL), who introduced the bill along with Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA).
"It is time for Democrats and Republicans alike to find the courage to act," Moulton added in a joint statement.
Credit: Jamie Dupree
Credit: Jamie Dupree
For some, the idea of a law is much better than a regulatory change as suggested today by the Speaker.
"We need to codify into law a ban on bump stocks
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