UPDATE Weds., Nov. 1

Democratic Rep. Dina Titus sent a letter to House Speaker Paul Ryan on Wednesday urging him to hold hearings on a bill setting additional restrictions on the sale and use of "bump stock" weapon modifications.

"This reasonable approach is in line with your stated choice of action and deserves to be heard," she wrote.

The full letter is below:

110117 - Letter to Speaker Ryan Re Bump Stocks by Riley Snyder on Scribd

ORIGINAL STORY

Democratic Rep. Dina Titus is introducing a bill designed to give federal officials more flexibility in regulating bump stocks, the weapon modifications that accelerate the gunfire of semi-automatic weapons used in the deadly Las Vegas shooting nearly a month ago that left 58 dead and more than 500 wounded.

Titus introduced the bill Tuesday with three other representatives — including two Republicans — that would allow the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to expressedly regulate and oversee the sale of “bump stock” devices, which use the recoil of a weapon firing to achieve rapid trigger pulls and simulate the firing of an automatic weapon.

Investigators found 12 “bump stock” devices inside the Mandalay Bay hotel room of 64-year-old Stephen Paddock, who used the device to rain down gunfire into a nearby country music festival attended by more than 22,000 people on Oct. 1.

The measure would also create a registration process for anyone interested in purchasing a bump stock modification, including a “rigorous” background check and $200 registration fee.

“I believe the majority of Americans would agree: Anyone who wants a device that modifies a firearm to shoot hundreds of rounds per minute should undergo thorough background checks and oversight,” she said in a statement. “Congress must take meaningful action to address this national epidemic. We cannot stand in silence any longer.”

Titus introduced the bill Tuesday along with fellow Democratic Rep. Dan Kildee of Michigan and Republicans Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Dave Trott of Michigan.

Titus, along with fellow Nevada Democratic Reps. Jacky Rosen and Ruben Kihuen, co-sponsored a bill introduced by Rhode Island Rep. David Cicilline in the days following the shooting that would have barred bump stocks and any other device that accelerates a semiautomatic rifle’s rate of fire. That bill has not been scheduled for a hearing since being introduced on Oct. 4.

Several Nevada lawmakers have also submitted a bill draft request to ban the sale, possession or manufacturing of the devices, though the earliest that measure could be taken up is during the 2019 legislative session.

Titus also previously criticized another bill addressing bump stocks introduced by Florida Republican Rep. Carlos Curbelo and co-sponsored by Kihuen and Rosen earlier in October, saying it was similar to the legislation introduced by Cicilline but carried weaker penalties, and that there was no reason to “undermine our position at this point just to satisfy the NRA.”