search
Sections List
American Journal News

GOP senator who received $50,000 from NRA slams any efforts for gun safety

The shooter who massacred 59 Americans in Las Vegas was in possession of modified rapid-fire guns in his hotel room, and now that an effort is underway to ban the tools used to make those weapons deadlier, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) is already opposing it. Grassley’s position against this modest suggestion should not be a […]

By Oliver Willis - October 04, 2017
Share
Sen. Chuck Grassley

The shooter who massacred 59 Americans in Las Vegas was in possession of modified rapid-fire guns in his hotel room, and now that an effort is underway to ban the tools used to make those weapons deadlier, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) is already opposing it.

Grassley’s position against this modest suggestion should not be a surprise. He has received more than $50,000 in campaign donations from the NRA to push its agenda — including $9,900 in just the past year — and has received an “A” grade for his voting record against gun legislation.

A bump stock, which was found on the Las Vegas shooter’s guns, allows rifles like the AR-15 to shoot bullets in rapid succession, mimicking the capabilities of an automatic weapon. Fully automatic weapons have been banned in the United States, but bump stocks are currently legal.

The gun used in the Pulse night club shooting in Florida that killed 49 shot at a rate of about 24 shots in 9 seconds. The Las Vegas gun made 90 shots in 10 seconds, while a fully automatic gun shots bullets at a rate of 98 bullets in 7 seconds.

Democratic senators offered a bill that would make the modification tools illegal. In a press conference introducing the legislation, California Sen. Dianne Feinstein noted, “The only reason to modify a gun like this is to kill as many people as possible in as short of a time as possible.”

But Grassley, who leads the Senate Judiciary Committee and would have jurisdiction over legislation on bump stocks, started jamming on the brakes almost immediately.

He told reporters in Iowa that it would be unlikely that legislation addressing the issue could pass the Senate, and threw up a series of excuses for why it couldn’t happen.

Grassley did not have the courage to give his personal opinion of such legislation. Instead, he dodged by saying “you’ve got to develop the legislation so you can get 60 votes.” He then asked, “Can you get 60 votes for it?”

Grassley further tried to evade responsibility by shifting blame to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, asserting that “you’ve still got to get a leader who’s going to bring it up” for a vote.

He also invoked an NRA-approved talking point that any attempt at legislation is pointless. “You need to make sure legislation really solves the problem,” he said. “Is there anything we could’ve done in the past that would’ve kept that from happening?”

Of course, there is no way to answer that question. But after every mass shooting over the last several years, Grassley and his fellow NRA-endorsed Republicans have refused to even attempt any legislation to prevent the next deadly tragedy, opting instead to do nothing at all.

The point of gun safety legislation is not to stop every instance of gun violence, but to reduce the number of instances of gun crime so fewer people die in the long run.

Grassley’s immediate opposition echoes his fellow NRA cash recipient, Sen. John Thune (R-SD), who said potential gun violence victims should simply “get small” when threatened by a mass shooter.

Thune and Grassley show why the NRA invests in Republican senators. For just a few thousand dollars they, and others like them, are ready to quash even the most sensible of legislation on the lobby’s behalf.

Their cynical calculus is that allowing guns to continue taking lives unimpeded is more than worth the moral and societal decay that comes with cashing the NRA’s checks.


AJ News
Subscribe to our newsletter.
Read More
AJ News
Latest
Goldman Sachs: Trump’s tariffs will lead to job losses

Goldman Sachs: Trump’s tariffs will lead to job losses

By Jesse Valentine - April 17, 2025
Democrats take stand for wrongly deported Maryland man

Democrats take stand for wrongly deported Maryland man

By Jesse Valentine - April 16, 2025
North Carolina law would make it illegal for Democratic AG to sue Trump

North Carolina law would make it illegal for Democratic AG to sue Trump

By Jesse Valentine - April 11, 2025
Older Americans suffer under Republican slash and burn policies

Older Americans suffer under Republican slash and burn policies

By Jesse Valentine - April 09, 2025
Scott Brown got Trump’s tariff plans for New Zealand very wrong

Scott Brown got Trump’s tariff plans for New Zealand very wrong

By Jesse Valentine - April 08, 2025
Trump admin canceled Social Security contracts to punish Maine governor

Trump admin canceled Social Security contracts to punish Maine governor

By Jesse Valentine - April 03, 2025
Senate Republicans vote to eliminate cap on overdraft fees

Senate Republicans vote to eliminate cap on overdraft fees

By Jesse Valentine - April 03, 2025
Forced to carry a dying baby, this Texas mother of four says she didn’t think it could happen to her

Forced to carry a dying baby, this Texas mother of four says she didn’t think it could happen to her

By Bonnie Fuller - March 28, 2025
Despite pleas from women and doctors, Texas may implement even more abortion restrictions

Despite pleas from women and doctors, Texas may implement even more abortion restrictions

By Bonnie Fuller - March 28, 2025
Trump’s antiwar claims don’t hold up in leaked group chat

Trump’s antiwar claims don’t hold up in leaked group chat

By Jesse Valentine - March 28, 2025
Frontline Republican governors cheer on Department of Ed closure

Frontline Republican governors cheer on Department of Ed closure

By Jesse Valentine - March 26, 2025
GOP-led legislatures ramp up abortion restrictions

GOP-led legislatures ramp up abortion restrictions

By Jesse Valentine - March 18, 2025
HHS slashes vaccine research, amplifies misinformation

HHS slashes vaccine research, amplifies misinformation

By Jesse Valentine - March 11, 2025
Senate Republicans scrap consumer protections for payment apps

Senate Republicans scrap consumer protections for payment apps

By Jesse Valentine - March 10, 2025
Rep. Don Bacon admits he voted for Medicaid cuts

Rep. Don Bacon admits he voted for Medicaid cuts

By - February 28, 2025
Trump admin cracks down on affordable weight-loss treatments

Trump admin cracks down on affordable weight-loss treatments

By Jesse Valentine - February 27, 2025
Republican lawmakers are lying about Medicaid fraud

Republican lawmakers are lying about Medicaid fraud

By Jesse Valentine - February 26, 2025
Trump’s education pick: schools may lose funds for teaching Black history

Trump’s education pick: schools may lose funds for teaching Black history

By Jesse Valentine - February 13, 2025
JD Vance defends DOGE staffer who promoted eugenics 

JD Vance defends DOGE staffer who promoted eugenics 

By Jesse Valentine - February 10, 2025
Texas’ abortion ban has OB-GYNs working in an environment of ‘extreme fear’

Texas’ abortion ban has OB-GYNs working in an environment of ‘extreme fear’

By Bonnie Fuller - February 04, 2025
RFK Jr. won’t commit to protecting Medicaid in Senate confirmation hearing

RFK Jr. won’t commit to protecting Medicaid in Senate confirmation hearing

By Jesse Valentine - January 30, 2025
House Republicans push Medicaid cuts to fund tax breaks for billionaires

House Republicans push Medicaid cuts to fund tax breaks for billionaires

By Jesse Valentine - January 24, 2025