Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy said on Sunday he is open to working with Republicans to ban “bump stocks,” a device allowing semi-automatic guns to fire bullets more rapidly that the Las Vegas shooting is believed to have used.
“I am willing to move forward the with Republicans on banning these bump stocks that, as you mentioned, subverts legislation that has been long on the books banning automatic weapons,” Murphy, D-Conn., said when asked on CNN’s “State of the Union” if he would be willing to advance a “clean” bump stock bill or insist on a broader gun control package.
“I think you have to walk before you run. And I do think this is an important moment,” Murphy added.
Republicans in Congress signaled this week they are willing to consider a measure to address bump stocks, and further adding clout to that movement was the National Rifle Association, which called for a federal review of the gun accessory and said that the devices should be subject to more regulations.
“The NRA, at least in the time that I have been in Congress, has never been willing to change U.S. gun laws,” Murphy noted. “I think they see that they were likely going to lose this fight in Congress, and so now they’re trying to get it done through administrative action. But this is the first time that the gun lobby has shown willingness to come to the table.”
Murphy is a strong proponent of more stringent gun regulations, calling attention to the “gun violence epidemic in America.” It was in his home state of Connecticut that the deadly 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting took place.
Murphy argued Sunday that Americans “simply do not accept mass shooting after mass shooting happening and Congress doing absolutely nothing,” but did concede that legislation focusing on bump stocks would be a “fairly small change,” albeit in the right direction.
The senator also expressed disappointment in the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives concluding in 2010 that bump stock parts were not subject to firearm regulation.
“The underlying language is ambiguous,” Murphy said. While some Republicans have called on ATF to review bump stocks in the wake of the Vegas shooting, Murphy called on Congress to “change” the “statute that is unclear.”
“Ultimately, I think it is best done by Congress, rather than through administrative action,” he said.
