Nevada lawmakers respond to bump stock ruling; devices used in Las Vegas mass shooting

Accessory allowed shooter to fire 1,000 rounds in 11 minutes during 1 October

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Nevada’s congressional delegation and state leaders responded Friday to the U.S. Supreme Court’s 6-3 ruling striking down a Trump-era ban on bump stocks, a gun accessory restricted following the 1 October shooting.

The majority of the high court found Congress, not the executive branch, has the authority to ban bump stocks. In 2019, the Trump Administration banned the devices through regulatory means by defining them as machinegun components. Bump stocks remain illegal under Nevada state law.

Stephen Paddock killed 58 people attending the Route 91 Harvest festival on Oct. 1, 2017 — an event now known in Las Vegas as 1 October. Two subsequent deaths have since been added to the total, now 60. Bump stocks allowed Paddock to fire more than 1,000 rounds in 11 minutes, officials said.

In the wake of the shooting, southern Nevada’s congressional delegation pushed Congress to pass a ban. Specifically, Democratic Rep. Dina Titus, whose district encompasses the Las Vegas Strip, has pushed for passage of a federal ban.

“What a travesty this court is,” Titus said in a video posted outside the Supreme Court. “The American public knows we don’t need weapons of war on our streets so now let’s pass my BUMP stock bill and take care of this problem.”

“Bump stocks like the one used in the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival massacre in Las Vegas that left 60 people dead and hundreds more injured have no place on our streets,” Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto said “I am extremely disappointed in the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down President Trump’s 2019 regulation. Now, I’m calling on Congress to urgently pass my commonsense legislation to save lives by permanently prohibiting these devastating devices.” 

“I’m outraged by the Supreme Court’s decision to reverse a Trump-era federal ban on bump stocks, which were used in the 1 October shooting  – making it the deadliest in U.S. history,” Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen said. “For years, this ban has been a common-sense, bipartisan approach to keeping communities safer and this shameful decision will put more lives at risk. It’s more important than ever for Congress to come together in a bipartisan way and pass legislation to permanently ban bump stocks.”

“Once again, Donald Trump’s handpicked Supreme Court has put the interests of corporations, in this case the gun lobby, over the lives of everyday Americans,” Democratic Rep. Steven Horsford said. “October 1, 2017 was a traumatic day for the Las Vegas community and a seminal moment for our nation. Sadly, on this day, the largest mass shooting event in our country occurred at the hand of a shooter and their use of bump stocks – killing sixty people and injuring 867 survivors who are still dealing with the lingering effects to this day. Today, the Supreme Court sided with violent criminals and against our right to live free from gun violence in our communities. This must not stand.  It’s why I voted to pass the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which is now law, co-sponsored legislation to end bump stocks and authored the Break the Cycle of Violence Act to stop crime before it starts, save lives and break the cycle of violence in all of our communities.”

“The ban on bump stocks was a direct consequence of the Oct. 1 shooting, which caused so much pain and sadness in our community,” Democratic Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford said. “Las Vegans and Nevadans saw firsthand the carnage these devices can cause, and it saddens me that such violence was not enough for six of the justices sitting on the court. The decision today is the most recent example of a court that has abdicated its responsibility to the American public. The court would rather, it seems, take an ideological stance and ignore the blood in our streets than allow such common-sense regulation as a bump stock ban to take effect. I am saddened by today’s decision, and I am calling on Congress to act quickly to reinstate a bump stock ban through legislative efforts.”

There were more than 500,000 bump stocks in circulation when the 2019 regulation went into effect, according to the Associated Press.