‘We need a law’ banning bump stocks on firearms, Sen. Dianne Feinstein says

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who authored the 1990s ban on assault weapons, said over the weekend that Congress must pass a law banning the so-called bump stock devices used in last week’s massacre at a Las Vegas country music festival.

Speaking on CBS’ “Face the Nation” program, Ms. Feinstein, California Democrat who remains one of the nation’s loudest voices in support of gun-control measures, said she fears anything short of an act of Congress will simply be overturned by the next president.

“Regulations aren’t going to do it,” she said in the interview which airs Sunday morning. “We need a law. It can’t be changed by another president.”

The National Rifle Association last week expressed openness to banning bump stocks. The devices can be attached to firearms to increase their rate of fire, and they were put to deadly use during last week’s shooting that claimed the lives of 58 people and wounded hundreds more.

The White House also said the idea should be examined.

With the political winds seeming to shift in her favor, Ms. Feinstein said she has a bill written in “plain English” that will ban any device designed to increase rates of fire. She said the change in gun laws must be permanent and codified by Congress, not addressed through regulations only.

“Right now we are seeing one president changes actions of a president that came before him and that would happen in this area,” the senator said. “So we need a law and we have an opportunity to get it. I hope Americans will step up and say enough is enough — Congress, do something.”

Appearing on “Fox News Sunday,” Chris Cox, the head of the National Rifle Association’s legislative arm, said the politically powerful organization is open to regulations on bump stocks but steered clear of backing a full-out ban.

The federal government “needs to do their job, review these, and if there’s a further regulation then we’ll work on further regulations,” Mr. Cox said. “We don’t believe that bans have ever worked on anything.”