Another mass shooting, another opportunity to politicians ignore the root causes and just exploit it for pet legislation. Here’s the rundown of what has been proposed on the federal level so far.
HR 3998: the Protect America Act of 2017. What an inspiring name! This one claims its purpose is to deny firearms sales to “known or suspected terrorists.” So, if you’re on a vague, unconstitutional list with no notification or due process, you can be denied the right to own a gun. This has nothing to do with the Las Vegas shooter.
HR 3999: the “bump stock” bill. This would outlaw “bump fire” stocks, as well as “any part or combination of parts that is designed and functions to increase the rate of fire of a semiautomatic rifle but does not convert the semiautomatic rifle into a machinegun.” That language is vague enough to include any replacement trigger, even one that simply makes a hunting rifle more accurate or a pistol easier to shoot for someone with weak hands. Continued...