The liberal narrative regarding gun control in the United States took on serious incoming fire this week when it was revealed that the alleged weapon of choice in the horrific mass shooting in Las Vegas was approved by the administration of former president Barack Obama.
According to reporter Perry Chiaramonte of Fox News, the “bump stock” devices allegedly used by Las Vegas shooting suspect Stephen Paddock to dramatically enhance the firing capability of his semi-automatic weapons were declared exempt from regulation by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) in June of 2010.
“We find that the ‘bump-stock’ is a firearm part and is not regulated as a firearm under Gun Control Act or the National Firearms Act,” a letter from the ATF to a manufacturer of these devices noted.
On at least two other occasions, the Obama administration ruled in a similar fashion regarding these devices.
We referenced the National Firearms Act and its extensive regulation of automatic weapons in our initial gun control post following the Las Vegas shooting. A second piece addressing gun control is in the works …
Do we expect a liberal backlash against Obama in response to this revelation? No.
Do we expect celebrities like Lady Gaga – who claimed that the blood of the Las Vegas victims was on the hands of current U.S. president Donald Trump and congressional “Republicans” – to revise and expand their remarks? No.
Do we expect this revelation to be referenced in a righteously indignant Jimmy Kimmel monologue? No.
(Click to view)
(Via: Guns America)
Semi-automatic firearms discharge a single round of ammunition with each pull of their triggers. Automatic weapons fire round after round for as long as the trigger is pulled – until the gun’s magazine is emptied. Bump stocks modify semi-automatic weapons in such a way as to harness their natural recoil – allowing the gun to push back against a shooter’s finger during firing. This simulates the effect of a fully-automatic weapon.
At least twelve of the weapons allegedly used by Paddock during the Las Vegas shooting were fitted with bump stocks, according to police.
Incidentally, the National Rifle Association (NRA) supports a ban on these devices – as well as trigger cranks and other accessories that effectively convert semi-automatic weapons into automatic ones.
“The NRA believes that devices designed to allow semi-automatic rifles to function like fully-automatic rifles should be subject to additional regulations,” a statement from the organization noted.
Multiple laws at multiple levels of government have been introduced in the aftermath of the Las Vegas shooting aimed at banning bump stocks.
We suspect the vast majority of them will pass, too.
Will they make America safer? Stay tuned for our next piece on gun control for more on that subject …
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