In face of Vegas shooting, congressional inaction

WASHINGTON » The deadly mass shooting in Las Vegas renewed Democrats’ calls Monday for gun safety legislation, but their pleas fell on deaf ears in the Republican-controlled Congress. At the same time GOP legislation aimed at loosening gun rules stood in limbo, facing an uncertain future.

Before the shooting that killed at least 59 people — the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history — House GOP leaders had been moving forward with bills to ease regulations on gun silencers and allow people with concealed-carry permits to take their weapons to other states.

Republicans have been upbeat about prospects for legislation as they control both the House and Senate and have an ally in the White House in President Donald Trump. But no votes on either bill were of Monday.

Democrats seized on the violence in Nevada to demand tougher gun restrictions.

“What Congress can do — what Congress must do — is pass laws that keep our citizens safe,” Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said on the Senate floor. “And that starts with laws that help prevent guns, especially the most dangerous guns, from falling into the wrong hands.”

Sen. Chris Murphy, DConn., a gun control proponent, said it was “time for Congress to get off its ass and do something.” In an outdoor news conference, former Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, grievously wounded in a 2011 attack, turned to the Capitol, raised her fist and said, “The nation is counting on you.”

But no action was expected, as other mass shootings in Colorado, Connecticut, and Florida, and even attacks scheduled as on lawmakers, failed to unite Congress on any legislative response. A bipartisan bill on background checks failed in the Senate four years ago, and since then Republicans have usually pointed to mental health legislation when questioned about the appropriate congressional response to gun violence.

Instead, Republicans have been pushing a pair of NRAbacked bills to loosen firearms restrictions. A Republican-led House committee last month backed the silencer bill by Rep. Jeff Duncan of South Carolina, who said it would help hunters protect their hearing.

Democrats scoffed, noting that the bill also would allow more armor-piercing ammunition. House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi invoked the June shooting of Majority Whip Steve Scalise to oppose the bill last week, saying, “If you can hear (a gunshot) you can run” away.