Getty Las Vegas police stand guard along the streets outside the the Route 91 Harvest country music festival grounds after a active shooter was reported on October 1, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The National Rifle Association released a statement about the shooting at the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas on Sunday night that killed 59 people and wounded hundreds more.
The statement was issued by NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre and NRA’s chief lobbyist Chris Cox.
The two said that “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.”
They also called for the Bureau of Alcohol and Firearms to look into whether bump stocks, which allow a semi-automatic weapon to fire at a rapid rate, should be regulated in the United States.
“Despite the fact that the Obama administration approved the sale of bump fire stocks on at least two occasions, the National Rifle Association is calling on the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE) to immediately review whether these devices comply with federal law,” the statement said. “The NRA believes that devices designed to allow semi-automatic rifles to function like fully-automatic rifles should be subject to additional regulations.”
#Congress let ATF Re-Evaluate Bump Stocks; Do Your Job, and Pass National Reciprocity! t.co/3fU4NXdcfi
Stephen Paddock, 64, of Mesquite, Nevada, shot at a crowd of concert-goers late Sunday night from his room on the 34th floor of the Mandalay Bay Hotel on the Las Vegas strip.
His motive is still unclear. The shooting was the deadliest in modern U.S. history. For days, the National Rifle Association has remained silent, until releasing its statement on Thursday night.
Congress needs to do their job and make sure that they are going with meaningful solutions to these underlying problems- @ChrisCoxNRA #NRA
In the aftermath of the evil and senseless attack in Las Vegas, the American people are looking for answers as to how future tragedies can be prevented. Unfortunately, the first response from some politicians has been to call for more gun control.
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. In Las Vegas, reports indicate that certain devices were used to modify the firearms involved. espite the fact that the Obama administration approved the sale of bump fire stocks on at least two occasions, the National Rifle Association is calling on the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE) to immediately review whether these devices comply with federal law.
The NRA believes that devices designed to allow semi-automatic rifles to function like fully-automatic rifles should be subject to additional regulations.
In an increasingly dangerous world, the NRA remains focused on our mission: strengthening Americans’ Second Amendment freedom to defend themselves, their families and their communities. To that end, on behalf of our five million members across the country, we urge Congress to pass National Right-to-Carry reciprocity, which will allow law-abiding Americans to defend themselves and their families from acts of violence.
