“I believe the Supreme Court was wrong to overturn the Trump administration’s bump stock ban. But now that it’s been struck down, it’s on Congress to pass legislation to keep our communities safe from these deadly devices,” the Senator said.

June 20, 2024 - Washington, D.C. – Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) took to the Senate floor on Tuesday following Republican objection to her bipartisan bill to ban bump stocks, the firearm accessory used by a gunman to kill 58 people and wound over 400 in less than 10 minutes at the 2017 Route 91 Harvest Festival massacre in Las Vegas.

Cortez Masto is an original cosponsor of the Banning Unlawful Machinegun Parts (BUMP) Act to enshrine a ban on bump stocks into federal law. Senator Cortez Masto initially introduced this legislation in March of 2018, prior to the Trump administration’s enactment of the ban on bump stocks. U.S. Representative Dina Titus (D-Nev.-01) has introduced companion legislation in the House.

Below are her remarks as prepared for delivery:

Mr. President, I rise today to express my deep disappointment that earlier today, Senator Pete Ricketts blocked commonsense legislation that will save lives. I’m talking about S.1909, the Banning Unlawful Machinegun Parts, or “BUMP” Act.

It’s shocking to me that my colleagues aren’t willing to move forward on such an important bill. Bump stocks are deadly firearm accessories that turn semi-automatic guns into machine guns, allowing a shooter to fire multiple bullets per second.

My husband and I are gun owners, but no one needs a bump stock. They’re dangerous, incredibly deadly devices that have no place on our streets.

I know the damage bump stocks can do. Nearly 7 years ago, Las Vegas experienced the deadliest mass shooting in American history because of bump stocks. On October 1, 2017 a gunman opened fire at the Route 91 Harvest Festival in my hometown of Las Vegas. He had outfitted his weapons with bump stocks, allowing him to spray over 1,000 bullets into the crowd of concertgoers. In 10 minutes, he murdered 58 people. 867 total people were wounded. Half of those people, 411, were wounded by gunshots, including two who later died as a result of their injuries. Think about that – almost 470 people hit by bullets in under ten minutes.

Now, I want you to imagine the terror all those families must have felt. Unfortunately, I don’t have to imagine it, because I experienced it. My niece was at that concert, and thankfully she made it home safe – but so many didn’t.

I will never forget being in the reunification center that night as families waited to hear if their parents, sons, daughters, or significant others would be ok. I will never forget the heartbreak and hopelessness in the room as the number of deaths and injuries being reported on TV continued to grow.

Our hospitals were overrun, Nevadans (including me) stood in line at blood banks for hours because the need was so large, I talked to doctors who described treating injuries usually only seen on the battlefield. None of this should have happened.

Understanding this, former President Trump directed his administration to ban bump stocks. Trump himself banned the devices because they turn, and I quote, “legal weapons into illegal machine guns.”

I believe the Supreme Court was wrong to overturn the Trump administration’s bump stock ban. But now that it’s been struck down, it’s on Congress to pass legislation to keep our communities safe from these deadly devices. Justice Samuel Alito said it himself in his concurring opinion on this case: it is within our power to make this right. This should have been an easy, bipartisan vote.

Instead, some of my Republican colleagues chose to turn a blind eye to the 411 people who were shot at the Route 91 Harvest Festival, the 60 who were murdered by gunfire, and the thousands of families throughout our country whose lives have been tragically upended because of bump stocks. It’s not just disappointing, it’s irresponsible. It’s negligent.

But I’ll tell you what: I will never stop working to right this wrong. I’m going to keep pushing to pass this bill, to keep our communities safe, and to eradicate bump stocks in this country once and for all.
Source: Senator Catherine Cortez Masto