2 Texas Republicans join call for action on ‘bump stocks,’
Members of Congress representing Central Texas weighed Wednesday whether gun policy changes should be made following the Sunday shooting in Las Vegas that killed 59 people and left more than 500 others injured. Here’s what they said:
“[T]he unique aspect of the bump stock and how you would literally transform a semiautomatic weapon into an automatic weapon is something that I think bears looking into, and I talked to Chairman (Charles) Grassley of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and I believe that once the investigation is complete and we learn all aspects of what contributed to this event, then we should have a hearing and look into it, and that should include the bump stock but also any other aspect of this terrible crime that we need to look at from a federal perspective.” U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, to reporters
“When tragedies, such as the Las Vegas shooting, happen in our nation, it is often a knee-jerk reaction from the left to call for Congress to implement more regulations, such as stronger gun control — this is not the answer. This is still an ongoing investigation and right now our focus needs be on helping the people and law enforcement of Las Vegas in any way that we can.
I have always been a strong supporter of the Second Amendment, and disarming America, by increasing legislation, will not fix problems like this.” U.S. Rep. Roger Williams, R-Austin, in a written statement
“I think [‘bump stocks’] should be banned. There’s no reason for a typical gun owner to own anything that converts a semi-automatic to something that behaves like an automatic.” U.S. Rep. Bill Flores, R-Bryan, to The Hill
“Apparently this massacre has moved even the NRA to acquiesce in one narrow bump stock provision in order to bump consideration of any other gun safety measures. One and done is not enough. Republicans want much more than their pending bill to loosen restrictions on gun silencers. They are still trying to silence full, fair, bipartisan debate on meaningful ways to make our families safer, such as closing the gun show loophole.” U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin, in a written statement
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and U.S. Reps. Michael McCaul, R-Austin; Lamar Smith, R-San Antonio; John Carter, R-Round Rock; and Blake Farenthold, R-Corpus Christi, did not respond to requests for comment.