For Immediate Release: June 18, 2024 [email protected]
Statement by Rick Myers, Vice Chair, Police Leaders for Community Safety
“It is shocking that ANY Senator would block passage of such a reasonable and important public safety measure, but that is what happened today in the U.S. Senate.”
“After the extreme devastation caused in Las Vegas by a shooter using a bump stock, and a recent Supreme Court ruling that only Congress can legislate bump stocks to be illegal, it is shocking that ANY Senator would block passage of such a reasonable and important public safety measure, but that is what happened today in the U.S. Senate
“Bump stocks are designed to make highly lethal semiautomatic firearms that already fire at a rapid rate, into vastly more powerful weapons that fire with even greater rapidity. Bump stocks have no value in sporting, hunting, or home protection. We saw the unthinkable carnage these deadly devices did in Las Vegas. Members of Congress must do their jobs to make sure they are never used again.
“The frequency with which mass shootings now occur is shameful. There were an astounding 14 mass shootings in the U.S. this past weekend, alone. Military style assault weapons are wreaking havoc on our streets and claiming all too many lives. Had any of these shooters been equipped with a weapon modified by a bump stock, we shudder to even think how much greater the carnage would have been.
“As law enforcement professionals who have dedicated our lives to protecting others and led our officers day in and day out into the face of danger, we know first-hand how the scourge of gun violence is needlessly taking lives, traumatizing survivors and devastating communities.
“Members of Congress have a legal and moral obligation to act with the bravery of our officers and immediately prevent the proliferation of these deadly instruments without delay.”
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