Feinstein: No law would have stopped Las Vegas gunman

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) said in an interview broadcast Sunday that no law could have stopped the suspected shooter, Stephen Paddock, who was behind last week’s mass shooting in Las Vegas.

Feinstein spoke on CBS News’s “Face the Nation” about gun legislation in the wake of the attack launched from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay hotel targeting a country music concert.

“Could there have been any law passed that would’ve stopped him?” Host John Dickerson asked the senator.

{mosads}“No, he passed background checks registering for handguns and other weapons on multiple occasions,” Feinstein replied. 

Feinstein’s remark comes as Republicans have started to express interest in a conversation about regulations for bump stock devices, which were found in the hotel room of the suspected gunman. The devices increase the possible rate of gun fire on semi-automatic weapons.

The National Rifle Association (NRA) following last week’s mass shooting said devices like bump stocks “should be subject to additional regulations,” though it did not call for new gun legislation.

Feinstein, who is pushing legislation to ban bump stocks, said there is “Republican interest” in the bill.

“We have Republican interest. I have nobody lined up, we have 38 cosponsors, they’re all Democratic. We’ve had individuals that have indicated an interest and particularly for a hearing,” she said.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) in 2010 found that bump stock devices were a part, rather than a firearm, concluding that they were not subject to regulation like a weapon.