“The only way to close this loophole permanently is through legislation.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) took to Twitter on Wednesday to denounce President Donald Trump’s “all talk and little action” approach to gun control, arguing that the president’s memo aimed at banning bump stock devices would not actually do so.
According to Schumer, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) has warned that it does not have the power to ban the devices.
“The only way to close this loophole permanently is through legislation,” Schumer tweeted. “Rather than just draft memos, [Donald Trump] should call on Congress to pass [Sen. Feinstein’s] bill to ban bump stocks.”
Republicans in Congress & the White House, led by @realDonaldTrump, have held fast to the belief that better laws won’t curb the epidemic of gun violence in this country. That they’re now reversing that belief & exploring policy changes to curb gun violence is a welcome shift. 1/
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) February 21,2018
Rather than just draft memos, @realDonaldTrump should call on Congress to pass @SenFeinstein ’s bill to ban bump stocks. On far too many issues, this administration has been all talk & little action – we can’t afford that approach when it comes to curbing #gunviolence. 3/
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) February 21,2018
. @HouseGOP combined the Fix NICS bill w/ the NRA’s top priority, concealed carry reciprocity, creating a bill which would be even worse than the status quo. I strongly urge @SenateGOP to avoid making the same mistake & instead work w/ Dems to pass real #gunsafety solutions. 5/5
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) February 21,2018
The bill Schumer referenced was first filed by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) last year after a gunman using a bump stock device killed 59 people and injured more than 500 others in a shooting at a Las Vegas country music festival.
Feinstein, the original author of the nation’s assault weapons ban, echoed Schumer’s concerns, claiming that prolonged court battles could make banning bump stocks through ATF impossible.
“The ATF currently lacks authority under the law to ban bump stocks. The agency made this clear in a 2013 letter to Congress, writing that ‘stocks of this type are not subject to the provisions of federal firearms statutes,’” Feinstein said in a statement.
“If ATF tries to ban these devices after admitting repeatedly that it lacks the authority to do so, that process could be tied up in court for years, and that would mean bump stocks would continue to be sold,” she continued. “Legislation is the only answer.”
The push for gun control laws has taken center stage this week following a deadly shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, that left 17 people dead and 16 injured last week.
In addition to Trump’s memo on bump stocks, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have put forward legislation aimed at ending gun violence in the country.
The Fix NICS Act, first introduced by Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and a bipartisan group of seven other lawmakers in November, has gained traction this week.
If passed, the bill would ensure that federal and state authorities accurately report criminal history records to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). It would also penalize agencies that fail to report relevant records and direct more federal dollars to the accurate reporting of domestic violence records.
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders also noted during her daily press briefing on Tuesday that the administration will discuss age restrictions on the purchase of AR-15-style weapons in the coming weeks.
