Fred Guttenberg, whose daughter Jaime was killed in the mass shooting in Parkland, Fla., expressed skepticism about Trump administration’s new bump stock ban in an interview that aired Friday on “Rising.”
“I’m thankful that the administration took the step to put in place this new rule, but that’s all that it is, it’s a rule,” Guttenberg told Hill.TV’s Julia Manchester on Thursday.
“To make it prominent requires legislation. The NRA [National Rifle Association] and the gun lobby have been really fierce in expressing their displeasure over this new rule,” he continued.
The Department of Justice announced on Tuesday that the Trump administration was issuing a final rule banning bump stocks, which allow semi-automatic weapons to fire at a more rapid pace.
The device was used in the 2017 shooting at a Las Vegas country music festival that left nearly 60 people dead and over 500 people injured.
Guttenberg said he would be more comfortable with legislation passed by both chambers of Congress banning the devices.
“The problem with rules is they don’t have to be permanent. Someone else could change their mind. The president could, 6 months from now, decide, you know what, he’s changed his mind on this rule,” he said. “I don’t expect him to because he’s going to put the rule in place, but he could.”
“So my only reservation is that we now need to take this positive step, and make it permanent,” he said. “We need to make sure the House and the Senate take up legislation that they can take to the president to sign. I am certain the House will, [Senate Majority Leader] Mitch McConnell [(R-Ky.)] on the Senate side has said there’s no chance that they’ll take up gun legislation. I hope that we can convince him to change his mind.”
— Julia Manchester
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