Feinstein says no law could have stopped the Vegas shooter — while promoting a new law

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) joined CBS host John Dickerson on Face the Nation Sunday to talk about her proposed bill banning bump stocks, a weapon modification Las Vegas shooting suspect Stephen Paddock used to make his semiautomatic rifles shoot more rapidly. The previously little-known device has become central to gun-regulation debates after the Vegas attack, as even the NRA has endorsed "additional regulations" on bump stocks.

"Regulations aren't going to do it. We need a law," Feinstein argued, because of the gravity of the issue at hand. "It can't be changed by another president. Right now we're seeing one president change actions of president that came before him, and that would happen in this area."

Still, Feinstein agreed with Dickerson that no law could have stopped the Vegas shooter. "Could there have been any law passed that would've stopped him?" Dickerson asked. "No," she replied, "[Paddock] passed background checks registering for handguns and other weapons on multiple occasions."

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Sign up

Watch an excerpt of the senator's comments below and read the full transcript of her interview here. Or, check out the case for banning guns altogether by The Week's Paul Waldman, plus the case against it by Shikha Dalmia. Bonnie Kristian