NRA comes out in favor of 'additional regulations' on bump stocks

The National Rifle Association on Thursday issued a surprising statement calling for "additional regulations" on bump stocks, the device used in the Las Vegas massacre to convert gunman Stephen Paddock's rifles from semi-automatic to a more rapid fire that was essentially fully automatic. NRA President Wayne LaPierre and top lobbyist Chris Cox issued the joint statement "calling on the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives to immediately review whether these devices comply with federal law."
While supporting additional scrutiny for bump stock sales, the NRA reaffirmed its commitment to the right of gun ownership. "Banning guns from law-abiding Americans based on the criminal act of a madman will do nothing to prevent future attacks. This is a fact that has been proven time and again in countries across the world," the statement read.
The Obama administration approved the sale of bump stocks in 2010. Some Republicans, including Sens. Ron Johnson (Wis.) and John Cornyn (Texas), said Wednesday that they were open to a Democratic proposal to ban the modifiers, while White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said at Thursday's press briefing that the Trump administration would "certainly welcome" a discussion on bump stock regulation.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Paddock had more than 20 firearms in his hotel room on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay hotel, 12 of which were equipped with bump stocks. He killed 58 people and injured more than 500 more in just roughly 10 minutes of shooting.
You can read the NRA's full statement below. Kimberly Alters
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kimberly Alters is the news editor at TheWeek.com. She is a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.
-
August 2 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Saturday’s political cartoons include a tariff self-own, rough times at the Trump golf course, and more
-
5 inexcusably hilarious cartoons about Ghislaine Maxwell angling for a pardon
Cartoons Artists take on the circle of life, Ghislaine's Island, and more
-
Ozzy Osbourne obituary: heavy metal wildman and lovable reality TV dad
In the Spotlight For Osbourne, metal was 'not the music of hell but rather the music of Earth, not a fantasy but a survival guide'
-
Samsung to make Tesla chips in $16.5B deal
Speed Read Tesla has signed a deal to get its next-generation chips from Samsung
-
FCC greenlights $8B Paramount-Skydance merger
Speed Read The Federal Communications Commission will allow Paramount to merge with the Hollywood studio Skydance
-
Tesla reports plummeting profits
Speed Read The company may soon face more problems with the expiration of federal electric vehicle tax credits
-
Dollar faces historic slump as stocks hit new high
Speed Read While stocks have recovered post-Trump tariffs, the dollar has weakened more than 10% this year
-
Economists fear US inflation data less reliable
speed read The Labor Department is collecting less data for its consumer price index due to staffing shortages
-
Crypto firm Coinbase hacked, faces SEC scrutiny
Speed Read The Securities and Exchange Commission has also been investigating whether Coinbase misstated its user numbers in past disclosures
-
Starbucks baristas strike over dress code
speed read The new uniform 'puts the burden on baristas' to buy new clothes, said a Starbucks Workers United union delegate
-
Warren Buffet announces surprise retirement
speed read At the annual meeting of Berkshire Hathaway, the billionaire investor named Vice Chairman Greg Abel his replacement