Some GOP leaders open to banning gun accessory used in Vegas shooting — here's what they said

What's the story?

Some top Republican lawmakers have said after the Las Vegas massacre that they would consider banning bump-stock devices, the gun accessory that was reportedly used in the attack. Bump-stock devices are added to semi-automatic weapons to allow them to function more like automatic weapons, firing at a much faster rate.

Who/what did they say?

"If somebody can essentially convert a semi-automatic weapon by buying one of these and utilizing it and cause the kind of mayhem and mass casualties that we saw in Las Vegas, that's something of obvious concern that we ought to explore. I own a lot of guns and as a hunter and sportsman I think that's our right as Americans, but I don't understand the use of this bump stock and that's another reason to have a hearing." — Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas)

"I have no problem in banning [bump stocks]." — Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.)

"I'm interested in finding out more about bump stocks and I've got my staff looking into that and I know there are other members interested in finding out more about it as well." — Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.)

Why does it matter?

Since the mass shooting in Las Vegas late Sunday night, Democrat leaders in Congress have amped up their push for gun reform legislation. Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.) introduced a bill in the House Wednesday to ban the manufacture, possession, transfer, sale or importation of bump stocks.

NEW: Just introduced my bill to prohibit the sale of bump stocks, which turn semi-automatic rifles into the equivalent of machine guns. pic.twitter.com/GfmK12PDo8

— David Cicilline (@davidcicilline) October 4, 2017

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), a longtime advocate for gun control legislation, introduced a similar bill in the Senate Wednesday.

"It shall be unlawful for any person to import, sell, manufacture, transfer or possess, in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce, a trigger crank, a bump-fire device or any part, combination of parts, component, device, attachment or accessory that is designed or functions to accelerate the rate of fire of a semi-automatic rifle but not convert the semi-automatic rifle into a machine gun," the bill reads.