Calls for tighter gun control resurface in wake of Las Vegas shooting
WASHINGTON -- Supporters of tighter gun control were quick to push for new laws after the Las Vegas massacre.
Hillary Clinton tweeted: "Our grief isn't enough. We can and must put politics aside, stand up to the NRA, and work together to try to stop this from happening again."
Our grief isn't enough. We can and must put politics aside, stand up to the NRA, and work together to try to stop this from happening again.
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) October 2, 2017
Until 13 years ago, the federal assault weapons ban would likely have outlawed some of the firearms and high capacity magazines used by the Las Vegas gunman, reports CBS News chief congressional correspondent Nancy Cordes.
But the ban lapsed in 2004, and attempts to reinstate it or pass other restrictions have failed.
Former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, who was shot in the head six years ago, happened to be on Capitol Hill Monday with her husband, astronaut Mark Kelly.
"If Congress didn't do anything after Gabby was shot and didn't do anything after Orlando or Sandy Hook, what gives you any hope at this point that they'll do something?" Cordes asked Kelly.
"Right now they're going in the wrong direction," he said. "What it takes is that people that put these folks in office to demand action."
But when it comes to gun laws, the gulf in Washington is as wide as ever, even between congressional gun victims.
Republican Rep. Steve Scalise, whose hip was shattered by gunfire this summer, told Norah O'Donnell last week in an interview for "60 Minutes" that his views on gun rights have not changed.
"You're now a victim of gun violence," O'Donnell said.
"Yeah, but I'm also saved by well-trained people who had guns to shoot back. And whatever the weapon's gonna be, I mean, if it's not a gun, it'll be a hand grenade or it'll be a knife or an axe. You know, I think what's important to focus on is that we have strong rights in this country, and, you know, we're protected by them," Scalise said.
The only gun legislation advancing in Congress right now is a GOP bill that would make it easier to buy gun silencers. Opponents argue that would make mass shooters even more dangerous. Supporters say they're just trying to protect the hearing of legal gun owners