Is The NRA Forcing Trump to Support Gun Control?

Tuesday morning, President Donald Trump announced he has directed Attorney General Jeff Sessions to ban “bump stocks.” A “bump stock” is a firearm accessory which uses the recoil of the firearm to allow it to be fired more rapidly than usually achievable on its own.

This move was surprising to most Second Amendment-supporting Trump supporters. But in reality, it shouldn’t have been. The National Rifle Association (NRA), who spent over $30 million supporting Trump’s run for President, has a long record of supporting gun control, especially in the past year.

Immediately following last years Las Vegas shooting that left 58 people dead, the NRA called for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (BATFE) to look into bump stocks, and review whether they comply with Federal law. In the statement, the NRA also expressed their support for additional regulations on bump stocks, falling short of declaring their support for a full ban.

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That statement led towards a massive gun control showdown over bump stocks, and if it weren’t for more hard-line organizations like the National Association for Gun Rights (NAGR) standing up against banning firearm accessories like bump stocks, those efforts very likely would have succeeded.

Regardless of what is thought of bump stocks (I personally think they’re gimmicky), the Second Amendment is clear, and banning a gun accessory is definitely an infringement.

The NRA, who purports to support the Second Amendment, has been mostly silent on this issue. The only times they’ve chimed in on the debate over bump stocks was to make anti-gun arguments on why they should be banned. Could those statements from the NRA have encouraged President Trump to follow through on his directive to ban bump stocks?