>> THANK YOU, GUYS, FOR YOUR ANALYSIS.
ANALYSIS. APPRECIATE IT.
APPRECIATE IT. >>> ALL RIGHT.
TODAY OWNING, BUYING, SELLING,
OR TRANSFERRING A BUMP STOCK IS
ILLEGAL AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL.
PRESIDENT TRUMP DIRECTED THE
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT TO PROPOSE
CHANGES THAT WOULD BAN BUMP
STOCKS AFTER THEY WERE USED IN
THE 2017 CONCERT MASSACRE IN LAS
VEGAS.
VEGAS. LET ME JUST REMIND YOU WHAT BUMP
STOCKS ARE.
STOCKS ARE. FIRST OF ALL, TAKE A LOOK AT
WHAT A BUMP STOCK IS.
IT’S A DEVICE THAT FITS ON TO A
SEMIAUTOMATIC WEAPON, WHICH
ALLOWS THE SHOOTER TO INCREASE
THE NUMBER OF ROUNDS FIRED PER
MINUTE.
MINUTE. THE OUTCOME IS SIMILAR TO USING
A FULLY AUTOMATIC WEAPON.
WHY DO PEOPLE USE THEM?
WELL, SEMIAUTOMATIC RIFLES ARE
LEGAL UNDER FEDERAL LAW.
THEY FIRE ONE BULLET EACH TIME
THE TRIGGER IS PULLED, BUT FULLY
AUTOMATIC RIFLES ARE ILLEGAL
WITHOUT A SPECIAL PERMIT.
THINK OF A MACHINE GUN THAT
FIRES ROUNDS CONTINUOUSLY AS
LONG AS THE TRIGGER IS HELD
DOWN.
DOWN. PEOPLE WHO WANT WEAPONS CAPABLE
OF FULLY AUTOMATIC FIRE CANNOT
LEGALLY MODIFY THE COMPONENTS OF
THEIR GUN, BUT UNTIL NOW THEY
COULD LEGALLY BUY ACCESSORIES
LIKE BUMP STOCKS.
THE ACCESSORY FREES THE WEAPON
TO SLIDE BACK AND FORTH QUICKLY
BETWEEN THE SHOOTER’S SHOULDER
AND TRIGGER FINGER, CAUSING IT
TO FIRE OVER AND OVER.
SO THE SHOOTER JUST NEEDS TO
HOLD A FINGER ON THE TRIGGER AND
HOLD THE STOCK VERY CLOSE TO
THEIR SHOULDER TIGHTLY, AND THE
WEAPON WILL CONTINUOUSLY FIRE.
IN DECEMBER, JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
OFFICIALS ISSUED THE BAN, GIVING
OWNERS A 90-DAY PERIOD TO TURN
IN THEIR BUMP STOCKS, TURN THEM
OVER TO FEDERAL AUTHORITIES OR
CRUSH THEM.
CRUSH THEM. THAT LEADS TO TODAY WHERE NOW A
VIOLATION OF THE FEDERAL BAN
COMES WITH A $250,000 FINE ON
TOP OF A POSSIBLE TEN-YEAR
PRISON TERM.
PRISON TERM. JOINING ME NOW, FOUNDER OF MOMS
DEMAND ACTION FOR GUN SENSE IN
AMERICA, SHANNON WATTS.
GIVEN THE DESCRIPTION I JUST
OFFERED, THIS DOESN’T SEEM LIKE
IT WAS HARD TO ARRIVE AT.
IN THE DAYS AFTER LAS VEGAS,
MOST PEOPLE, SOME PEOPLE HAD
NEVER HEARD OF BUMP STOCKS, AND
MOST PEOPLE WHO FIRST LEARNED
ABOUT THEM FELT THAT SOMETHING
SHOULD BE DONE ABOUT THEM,
INCLUDING THE PRESIDENT.
BUT WITHIN MOMENTS, THE NATIONAL
RIFLE ASSOCIATION HAD SOMEHOW
TURNED THIS INTO A SECOND
AMENDMENT CONVERSATION.
AMENDMENT CONVERSATION. >> YES, THAT’S RIGHT.
AND THAT’S WHY YOU’RE NOT
HEARING THE NRA TALK ABOUT IT.
FIRST, THEY TRIED TO GET THE
CONGRESS TO NOT PAY ATTENTION TO
THIS.
THIS. THEN THEY TRIED TO WATER DOWN
THE RULING BY THE ATF.
THIS IS A HUGE LOSS FOR THE GUN
LOBBY.
LOBBY. IT’S WHY THEY’RE BEING SILENT.
BUT IT IS A FIRST STEP, AND IT’S
A VERY IMPORTANT STEP BY THE
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION, BUT WE
NEED TO DO MORE, AND THAT’S, IN
FACT, WHY MOMS DEMAND ACTION
VOLUNTEERS ARE AT A SENATE
HEARING TODAY FOR A RED FLAG
BILL.
BILL. IT’S WHY THE HOUSE HAS PASSED A
BACKGROUND CHECKS BILL.
THERE’S HUGE MOMENTUM IN THIS
COUNTRY AROUND GUN SAFETY, BUT
WE’RE WAITING FOR LAWMAKERS TO
ACT.
ACT. >> EARLIER TODAY, CHIEF JUSTICE
JOHN ROBERTS DENIED AN EMERGENCY
REQUEST BY GUN OWNERS TO
TEMPORARILY BLOCK THE
ADMINISTRATION’S BAN ON BUMP
STOCKS, WHICH TOOK EFFECT AT
MIDNIGHT.
MIDNIGHT. ANOTHER REQUEST IS STILL PENDING
IN FRONT OF JUSTICE SOTOMAYOR.
ARE YOU SURPRISED THE SUPREME
COURT RULED THIS WAY, OR IS IT A
SIGN OF MOVEMENT FROM THE
SUPREME COURT ABOUT BECOMING
MORE OPEN TO DISCUSSING GUN
LEGISLATION?
LEGISLATION? >> LOOK, WE BELIEVE THIS WILL BE
THE LAND OF THE LAW -- SORRY,
THE LAW OF THE LAND.
AS OF TODAY, IT IS THE LAW.
PEOPLE HAVE TO TURN IN THEIR
BUMP STOCKS OR GET RID OF THEM.
THIS RULING BY THE SUPREME COURT
SHOWS EXACTLY WHERE THEY HAVE
BEEN ON THIS ISSUE, WHICH IS
THAT YOU HAVE THE RIGHT -- WE
HAVE THE RIGHT TO REGULATE GUN
OWNERSHIP.
OWNERSHIP. WITH RESPONSIBILITY GOES GUN
LAWS.
LAWS. THAT’S WHAT WE’RE FOCUSED ON.
THAT’S WHAT THE SUPREME COURT
HAS SAID.
HAS SAID. WE’RE SO GLAD THIS IS THE LAW OF
THE LAND AS OF TODAY, BUT WE
ALSO NEED CONGRESS TO DO MORE.
WE NEED THEM TO PASS RED FLAG
LAWS AND BACKGROUND CHECKS.
>> I WANT TO REMIND EVERYBODY
ABOUT WHAT THE NRA SAID AFTER
THE LAS VEGAS SHOOTING.
IN PART, BANNING GUNS FROM
LAW-ABIDING AMERICANS BASED ON
THE CRIMINAL ACT OF A MADMAN
WILL DO NOTHING TO PREVENT
FUTURE ATTACKS.
FUTURE ATTACKS. THIS IS A FACT THAT’S BEEN
PROVEN TIME AND AGAIN IN
COUNTRIES ACROSS THE WORLD.
IN THIS CASE, SHANNON, NOT
HAVING ACCESS TO A BUMP STOCK
WOULD ACTUALLY TURN WHAT
HAPPENED IN LAS VEGAS INTO
SOMETHING ELSE.
SOMETHING ELSE. HE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO
FIRE WITH THE SPEED HE WAS ABLE
TO BECAUSE HE USED A BUMP STOCK.
>> THAT’S RIGHT.
THAT’S HOW THIS MAN WAS ABLE TO
KILL 58 PEOPLE AND INJURE
HUNDREDS MORE OVER 1100 FEET
AWAY FROM THE 32nd FLOOR OF A
HOTEL ROOM.
HOTEL ROOM. YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER, ALSO, THAT
GUN MANUFACTURERS HAVE SOMETHING
CALLED A TRUMP SLUMP.
THERE’S $100 MILLION LOSS OF
SALES AND ACCESSORIES OF GUNS
SINCE THE ELECTION OF DONALD
TRUMP.
TRUMP. THEY’LL DO ANYTHING TO MAKE UP
THAT LOSS, AND THAT INCLUDES
SELLING ACCESSORIES THAT ARE
DANGEROUS AND MAKING GUNS EASILY
AVAILABLE TO DANGEROUS PEOPLE.
>> ARE YOU EVER IN CONVERSATION
WITH THE NRA?
THERE ARE MOMENTS WHERE THERE
ARE A LOT OF -- MOST GUN OWNERS
IN AMERICA ARE LAW-ABIDING,
RESPECTFUL, AND DON’T MIND
CERTAIN RESTRICTIONS GOING INTO
PLACE THAT WOULD MAKE THEIR
ABILITY TO OWN A GUN SAFER AND
NOT HAVE THEM ASSOCIATED WITH
THESE SORT OF THINGS.
DO YOU EVER GET INTO
CONVERSATIONS WITH THE NRA?
>> IT’S SUCH AN IMPORTANT POINT
BECAUSE THE VAST MAJORITY OF NRA
MEMBERS ACTUALLY SUPPORT COMMON
SENSE GUN LAWS LIKE BACKGROUND
CHECKS.
CHECKS. THIS IS ABOUT AN EXTREME
LEADERSHIP OF THE NRA.
THEY HAVE BECOME SO EXTREME THAT
THEY WON’T SUPPORT ANY GUN LAW,
NO MATTER HOW MUCH DATA SHOWS IT
WILL HELP SAVE LIVES.
SO UNTIL THAT LEADERSHIP BECOMES
LESS EXTREME AND COMES TO THE
MIDDLE OR HAS NEW LEADERSHIP, WE
REALLY HAVE TO RELY ON OUR
MEMBERS OF CONGRESS TO CHANGE
THE LAWS IN THIS COUNTRY THAT