I don't care if you get some sick thrill out of taking your 12 year old to shoot automatic weapons

[onecaliberal]

at a gun range. There is zero reason for Americans to own these guns. They're not useful for hunting or anything reasonable for joe 6 pack. They are used to inflict maximum carnage in short order. They are weapons of war. Stop the madness. Sensible gun control now.

[BeyondGeography]

1. Normalized insanity

By the time Paddock ended the terror attack by taking his own life, 59 people were dead and another 527 injured. In the midst of one 31-second span, he fired a staggering 280 rounds, roughly nine bullets every second — from about 1,200 feet away.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/stephen-paddock-room-shows-guns-shells-article-1.3538092

[IronLionZion]

2. Aren't they already illegal?

Look, I support gun control. But conservatives keep saying the stuff he used was already illegal.

[MichMary]

3. Fully automatic weapons are

But he converted his semi-automatic weapons to fully automatic.

[Adrahil]

10. It appears it was not converted to an actual automatic.

He used a bump-stock which can achieve very high fire rates.

The problem is that it is difficult to ban bump-fire devices, since they do not technically convert the fire arm at all.

Maybe look at magazines.

[kcr]

5. Technically speaking, there is a law that says so. But practically? No.

Because it is legal to manufacture and sell semi-automatic weapons that can be easily and legally converted back to automatic. It's fucking ridiculous.

[IronLionZion]

6. ATF is investigating where he got the guns and if anything was illegal

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2017/10/02/video-from-las-vegas-suggests-automatic-gunfire-heres-what-makes-machine-guns-different/?utm_term=.2bc382adcc2f

This is very disturbing if it turns out everything was bought legally. Since he had no criminal history, there would be nothing to come up in a background check. This could be any random asshole anywhere.

[kcr]

12. Nevada has some of the most lax gun laws.

Particularly when it comes to modified guns. I wouldn't be a bit surprised to find out it was all legal.

[lunasun]

21. legal

at least six of the weapons were purchased at a Cabela’s in Verdi, Nevada.
Others were purchased from Discount Firearms and Ammo, a few blocks from the strip in Las Vegas, and at Guns and Guitars located in Mesquite.
Records show that Paddock had owned at least 30 guns at one point.

[onecaliberal]

8. The ability to turn a semi auto weapon into an auto weapon is not legal in Vegas.

I don't know why they sell the pieces to make that possible. Does anyone use semi automatic weapons to hunt? My FIL was an avid hunter, he owned many guns but none were semi automatic. The fact that people think it is their right to go shoot these weapons for fun with children is alarming to me. There are many reasonable and sensible things that can be done. Doing nothing is not okay.

[IronLionZion]

13. Bump Fire

Some news reports claim he had installed bump fire attachments on his guns

[onecaliberal]

15. Retired ATF guy on MSNBC says this is not legal in Vegas. Yet they sell them.

[whopis01]

23. You can see it in one of the pictures from the room. n/t

[Glassunion]

14. Actually yes, they are used.

Personally I've only seen it with wild pig/boar. They are a huge problem, and in some states normal hunting regulations do not apply to this particular animal. IIRC one state allows you to hunt them from your vehicle.

[Shrek]

17. I've used a semi-auto for bird hunting

But that's a shotgun with an effective range of 50 yards or so, and only a few rounds can be expended before you have to reload.

A semi-automatic rifle with lots of ammunition isn't very useful for hunting.

[onecaliberal]

19. Seems very effective at killing lots of people.

[kcr]

20. Wrong. They sell them to make them possible because they're legal.n/t

[NickB79]

11. Not if made before 1986

In the 1930's, automatic weapons were heavily regulated (but not outlawed) thanks to mob battles. In 1986, Reagan banned sales of newly made automatic guns. So, anything made before then is legal, so long as you pass a lot of background checks, get the local police to sign off on the paperwork, pay a $200 tax stamp, and have $20,000 for the gun itself.

It sounds like the Vegas shooter machined a new gun to fire full auto, which would be totally illegal.

[IronLionZion]

16. Sounds carefully planned out and premeditated

Asshole seems to have put a lot of time, money, and effort into making this possible

[Hoyt]

4. Indoctrination of young kids into gun culture, by gun-loving dads, does not bode well for future.

[IronLionZion]

7. Why don't those folks just enlist in the fucking military

[onecaliberal]

9. So much that.

[geardaddy]

18. Because they'd be told what to do

and they'd have to serve with brown people, who they are against.

[lunasun]

22. many do which is scary for innocents in war areas and then there are many who are anti government

exporting is not a good solution

[jmg257]

24. Most Americans do not own automatic weapons. They are highly regulated, and highly $$$

Provisions for modifying a semi - not so much.

But converted weapons are highly illegal too.