Now even US gun lobby calls for tougher rules on deadly devices
THE National Rifle Association has made a rare concession on gun control, calling for tougher regulation of ‘bump stocks’ that turn semi-automatics into rapid firing weapons.
The powerful lobby group was joined by leading Republicans, including House Speaker Paul Ryan, who said banning the device used by Stephen Paddock was ‘clearly something we need to look into’. For years Republicans, encouraged by the NRA, have blocked efforts by Congress to toughen US gun laws.
It came as Donald Trump Jr, the President’s son, was drawn into the row over a video in which he extols gun silencers as a way ‘to get little kids into the game’. In a promotional video for manufactures SilencerCo, the keen hunter praises the devices as ‘awesome’ while he fires various silenced rifles.