PA Bill Number: HB2235
Title: Providing for regulation of the meat packing and food processing industry by creating facility health and safety committees in the workplace; ...
Description: Providing for regulation of the meat packing and food processing industry by creating facility health and safety committees in the workplace; ... ...
Last Action: Referred to LABOR AND INDUSTRY
Last Action Date: Apr 25, 2024
Grassley questions ATF bump stock ruling reversal :: 12/07/2017
(Washington) -- Federal policy in the wake of two mass shootings in the United States this fall was the subject of a U.S. Senate Judiciary hearing Wednesday.
Iowa Senator Charles Grassley chaired the hearing, which concerned the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearm's recent decision to issue an advanced notice of proposed rule making that would apply the statutory definition of machine gun to bump stocks and other devices.
Investigators say Stephen Paddock installed bump stocks on weapons used to kill 58 people and wound 500 others at a country music concert in Las Vegas October 1st. During the hearing, Grassley said current laws prohibit the manufacture of machine guns, and restrict the sale. But, he says a previous ATF ruling determined that bump stocks are legal
"Publication of this notice will provide the public and the firearms industry an opportunity to submit formal comments to ATF on the proposed rule making," said Grassley, "We do not have any proposed regulatory text before us today. But I think the Committee deserves to know why the ATF decided that its classification of bump stocks during the Obama administration was incorrect."
On another subject, Grassley discussed problems regarding the National Instant Criminal Background Check System--or NICS--the system used by those licensed to sell firearms to quickly determine whether a prospective buyer is eligible. Grassley says flaws in the system allowed the gunman in the Sutherland Springs, Texas church massacre to purchase weapons, when he shouldn't have been allowed to under current law.
"While in the Air Force, Devin Kelley was court martialed for domestic violence," said Grasley, "He served prison time and was discharged from the Air Force for bad conduct. But because his information was not entered into the NICS system as the law required, Kelley was able to purchase four weapons after his release from prison, including the weapon he used in the Sutherland Springs shooting.
Twenty-six people were killed, and more than 20 wounded while attending services at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs November 5th.
While saying some progress has been made in NICS reporting in recent years--especially in the area of reporting mental health records--Grassley adds some states continue to lag behind. He adds all states should work to ensure that all records submitted to NICS are complete and up to date. The senator, however, questions whether new laws are needed to prevent future mass killings from happening.
"All of us wish that the recent tragedies in Texas and Nevada could have been avoided," he said. "Nothing we do today or in the weeks to come will restore the lives of those lost to the senseless violence in Las Vegas or Sutherland Springs. We owe it to the victims of those shootings to seriously consider what we should do as policymakers.
"As legislators, one of the most powerful tools we possess is in crafting new legislation. The problem with such a big hammer, however, is that often everything looks like a nail," Grassley added.
Grassley says lawmakers must wield their legislative power carefully, particularly where it involves Second Amendment rights. He adds new laws affecting firearms and firearms accessories must be narrowly tailored to address important government interests.
