Top Democrat, Sen. Dianne Feinstein – in a radical break from Democratic talking points – confessed that no law could have prevented the violent attack that took place in Las Vegas last week.
During an appearance on CBS News “Face the Nation” last Sunday, Feinstein was asked by host John Dickerson asked: “Could there have been any law passed that would’ve stopped him?”
Feinstein, without any hesitation, responded back, “No, he passed background checks registering for handguns and other weapons on multiple occasions.”
While many of her fellow Democrats are currently pushing for tighter gun control regulations, including stronger background checks, Feinstein sent shockwaves through the political world by strongly taking the opposite view.
Speaking on the push by Republicans and the National Rifle Association’s (NRA) decision to enact more regulation of “bump stocks” like the sort that the Vegas shooter used, Feinstein called it a “step-forward.”
“Well, I thought that’s a step forward, and it’s appreciate — it’s appreciated. [But] regulations aren’t going to do it. We need a law. It can’t be changed by another president. Right now we’re seeing one president change actions of a — of a president that came before him, and that would happen in this area. And I hope that Americans will step up and say, ‘Enough is enough. Congress, do something’” she said on the show.
Dickerson followed up, “What do you make of increased sales of bump fire stocks in wake of this shooting and then now legislation?”
The Democratic Senator replied, “See, I don’t know what to make of it. What this event said – this is a well-to-do man, he wasn’t mentally ill. Um, he wasn’t a criminal, he wasn’t a juvenile, he wasn’t gang banger, and he was able to buy 40 weapons over a period of time, have 12 bump stocks, line them up, break through two windows in his hotel suite, and take aim at tens of thousands — well I guess over a thousand people at a concert. And this was such a cross section of America that it really struck at every one of us that this could happen to you. And we want to stop it.”
When asked by Dickerson if she believes in the view-point of the liberals to ban automatic “military-style” rifles, Feinstein stated, “I agree with them to a great extent. What I don’t — because, as you know, I did the assault weapons legislation in 1993, which was law of the land for 10 years. So I believe, I mean I’ve watched this thing from the Texas bell tower to today, in schools, in businesses, in workplaces. No one appears to be safe anywhere.”
It should be noted, Feinstein announced her plans to run for a sixth term in 2018, and in order to fend off a challenger from the Right, she may be trying to temporarily moderate here historically extreme views.
