Democrats take aim at bump stocks after Supreme Court ruling

Senate Democrats are making a push this week to ban bump stocks after Supreme Court struck down a Trump-era federal rule which banned the device, which allows semi-automatic weapons to fire hundreds of rounds per minute.

The effort will come to a head on Tuesday when Democrats plan to try to pass legislation that would ban bump stocks through unanimous consent, which Republicans are expected to block.

Despite the appetite for action among Democrats, they widely believe that Republicans have little interest in passing any firearms legislation during election season — although some have supported the effort in the past and a bump stock ban was enacted under Trump. .

“There are a lot of Republicans who said they were for it but wanted the Trump administration to do it, so let’s see if all those Republicans who said we should ban bump stocks are still willing to do it now,” said Senator Chris Murphy . (D-Conn.) he told reporters.

“I think it will be difficult, but I didn’t count the votes,” Murphy continued. “This should be a lot easier than it is. It feels open and closed to me.”

Meanwhile, Republicans on Monday accused Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (DN.Y.) of playing politics on the issue and complained about the lack of disclosure.

“If he were serious about this, he would be calling people who have worked on bipartisan projects into a room and saying, ‘I know I have a reluctant House. How do we produce a bipartisan result?’” said Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), who is known for his involvement in numerous bipartisan efforts in recent years, including on guns.

“Instead, he will make a [unanimous consent request] and say that all Republicans are against it, even though he was dealing with a person who was willing to get the Safer Communities Act right.”

“It is a political exercise. It’s a shame,” Tillis continued, accusing the Democratic leader of “poisoning the well” on the issue.

The ban on bump stocks was implemented by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) under former President Trump in 2018, following the mass shooting in Las Vegas that killed 60 people and injured hundreds of others.

But the court’s decision to reject the rule left members unsure how to move forward after Justice Samuel Alito suggested in a concurring opinion that Congress’s action is a “simple solution” to the issue. Senators note that the process is far from simple.

“As a practical matter, probably not,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) when asked if there was any path for members to work toward a resolution. “But we need to do this to draw the contrast, to put Republicans on record, and also to give our side an opportunity to show where we stand.”

“The political insanity of this moment has left us without protection from machine guns, and those who will rejoice are the criminals and mass shooters,” he added.

The ATF rule, which continued during the Biden administration, made possession of a bump stock a crime, classifying them as machine guns. The Supreme Court ruled that the law was too broad.

Schumer released his party’s response Monday, saying on the floor that Sen. Martin Heinrich’s (D-N.M.) bill will be presented for unanimous consent.

“Passing a bill banning bump stocks should take five minutes. The majority of Americans support this measure,” Schumer said. “I understand that the issue of gun safety causes intense divergence in Congress. But shouldn’t we all agree that preventing another tragedy like Las Vegas is simply common sense and a good thing?”

The New York Democrat also highlighted the work the chamber did following the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, two years ago. The bipartisan Safer Communities Act has become the most notable piece of firearms reform in nearly three decades.

“Democrats are ready to pass gun safety once again tomorrow. The question is, are Republicans ready to join us?” Schumer said.

The initial response from Republicans was mixed. Several members of the Republican Party indicated they were not averse to legislation on the issue, including Tillis and Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), who led negotiations for Republicans on the 2022 bill.

The latest Democratic move on guns comes amid a month-long push for reproductive rights. Schumer signaled Monday that he would soon introduce a bill that would codify the abortion protections that were decided in Roe v. Wade. Wade and annulled two years ago. The House held what Republicans called spectacular votes in recent weeks on contraception and in vitro fertilization.

Some Trump allies believe this falls into that category and argue that Schumer’s only goal is to help Democrats at the polls this year.

“I think it’s a huge distraction,” said Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), who is believed to be on Trump’s list to be his running mate. “This is the third week of Chuck Schumer focusing on fake problems instead of real problems.”