{"id":59309,"date":"2018-02-21T04:16:32","date_gmt":"2018-02-21T04:16:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/?p=59309"},"modified":"2018-02-21T04:16:32","modified_gmt":"2018-02-21T04:16:32","slug":"trump-moves-to-regulate-bump-stock-devices","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/news\/trump-moves-to-regulate-bump-stock-devices.html","title":{"rendered":"Trump Moves to Regulate ‘Bump Stock’ Devices"},"content":{"rendered":"

Trump Moves to Regulate \u2018Bump Stock\u2019 Devices<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

President Trump \u2014 under pressure from angry, grieving students from a Florida high school where a gunman killed 17 people last week \u2014 ordered the Justice Department on Tuesday to issue regulations banning so-called bump stocks, which convert semiautomatic guns into automatic weapons like those used last year in the massacre of concertgoers in Las Vegas.<\/span><\/p>\n

A day earlier, Mr. Trump signaled that he was open to supporting legislation that would modestly improve the national gun background check system, and on Tuesday night, he posted on Twitter that Democrats and Republicans \u201cmust now focus on strengthening Background Checks!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

But Mr. Trump\u2019s first embrace as president of any gun control measures was dismissed by gun control supporters as minor. The National Rifle Association supports the background check legislation and also backs bump stock regulation, although not an outright ban.<\/span><\/p>\n

Speaking at the White House days after a shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Mr. Trump said that he had directed Attorney General Jeff Sessions to develop the regulations.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe cannot merely take actions that make us feel like we are making a difference,\u201d Mr. Trump said at a ceremony as he conferred the medal of valor on public safety officials. \u201cWe must actually make a difference.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

In Florida on Tuesday, the State House rejected efforts to immediately consider a bill to ban assault rifles even as students from Stoneman Douglas High School watched from the gallery. But the vote was on an unusual procedural motion, and legislative leaders said they would consider other gun control measures before the session ends in March.<\/span><\/p>\n

At the White House, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the president\u2019s spokeswoman, said the president was determined to find ways to protect Americans, and especially children, from gunmen. Asked about a broader ban on assault weapons, Ms. Sanders said the White House has not \u201cclosed the door on any front.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite the day\u2019s developments, there was deep skepticism in Washington that anything would change because of the long history of inaction by state and federal politicians after similar mass shootings. Gun control activists said they were braced for another disappointing battle with lawmakers.<\/span><\/p>\n

The president, they noted, promised unwavering fealty last year to the National Rifle Association, drawing thunderous applause at its annual convention by declaring, \u201cTo the N.R.A., I can proudly say I will never, ever let you down.\u201d The group in turn enthusiastically endorsed Mr. Trump and spent $30 million on his campaign.<\/span><\/p>\n

Senator Christopher S. Murphy, Democrat of Connecticut, who sponsored the latest background check measure with Senator John Cornyn, Republican of Texas, said he was unimpressed by Mr. Trump\u2019s openness to it. \u201cLet\u2019s not pretend this is some huge concession on his part,\u201d he said. \u201cIf this is all the White House is willing to do to address gun violence, it\u2019s wholly insufficient.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The background check bill, which seeks to improve the existing database used to prevent gun purchases by criminals and the mentally ill, is a small nod in the direction of gun control that does nothing to close loopholes that allow millions of gun sales without a background check. Last year, N.R.A. officials said they were fine with it.<\/span><\/p>\n

It is also unclear whether Mr. Trump\u2019s statement of support for the measure, which included a desire for some \u201crevisions,\u201d might be linked to other legislation that the N.R.A. backs. In the House, a similar background check measure was combined with legislation that would effectively allow people to legally carry concealed weapons in all 50 states.<\/span><\/p>\n

That legislation is the top priority for the N.R.A., and gun control activists have promised to fight it aggressively.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat normalizes the carrying of guns on all American streets,\u201d said John Feinblatt, the president of Everytown for Gun Safety, a group that advocates gun control measures. He said joining the two measures would be a \u201ccraven\u201d bait-and-switch and \u201cdisrespectful for all the families\u201d of the Florida school that suffered through last week\u2019s shooting.<\/span><\/p>\n

The president\u2019s bump stock announcement surprised the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, which did not appear to have been informed of the pending remarks from Mr. Trump. The Justice Department announced a review of the devices in early December. Led by the A.T.F., the review sought to determine whether the bureau \u2014 which is responsible for policing firearms \u2014 was able to regulate the devices without action from Congress.<\/span><\/p>\n

Under the Obama administration, the bureau had determined it could not regulate them. Given that prior position, A.T.F. officials had indicated privately in the months after the Las Vegas massacre that any ban of bump stocks would require new legislation.<\/span><\/p>\n

Bump stocks were not used on the rifle in the shooting last week in Florida, the authorities said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mr. Trump\u2019s announcement on Tuesday appeared to short-circuit the agency\u2019s review. The A.T.F. had not yet determined whether it had the authority to ban the devices when Mr. Trump directed Mr. Sessions to draft a regulation doing so.<\/span><\/p>\n

In a statement, an A.T.F. official said she was \u201cnot authorized to comment on pending legislation, legislative proposals or the possibility of executive action.\u201d A Justice Department spokesman said that the department \u201cunderstands this is a priority for the president.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The shooting in Florida prompted the White House to highlight the administration\u2019s actions as students from the school included Mr. Trump among the politicians they criticized for failing to keep them safe.<\/span><\/p>\n

In an impassioned speech on Saturday, Emma Gonzalez, a senior at the school, assailed the president\u2019s N.R.A. ties and accused him of setting a crass monetary value on the lives of gunshot victims by taking so much money from the gun-rights group.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf you don\u2019t do anything to prevent this from continuing to occur, that number of gunshot victims will go up and the number that they are worth will go down,\u201d Ms. Gonzalez said on Saturday at a rally for gun control. \u201cAnd we will be worthless to you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

With funerals underway for those who died at the Florida high school, Mr. Trump said that he plans to host a \u201clistening session\u201d on Wednesday with high school students and teachers at the White House. He is scheduled to meet on Thursday with state and local officials to discuss school safety.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ms. Sanders told reporters on Tuesday that the session on Wednesday will include students and parents from the Florida school as well as people affected by school shootings at Columbine High School in Colorado and Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. She did not say whether any of the student activists who have been critical of Mr. Trump were invited to the White House.<\/span><\/p>\n

Source:-\u00a0https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/02\/20\/us\/politics\/trump-bump-stocks.html<\/span><\/p>\n

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