White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Thursday the Trump administration is open to discussing a potential ban on or new regulation for bump stocks.
Bump stocks are devices that can be attached to semiautomatic rifles to allow them to fire are a rate that closely mimics that of an automatic rifle. They were used by the shooter in the Las Vegas mass shooting and have been a topic of conversation since, with a number of voices from across the political spectrum calling for the devices to be banned.
Huckabee Sanders was conducting a White House press briefing on Thursday when she said the administration was open to legislation related to the regulation of such devices.
"We know that members of both parties and multiple organizations are planning to take a look at bump stocks and related devices," Huckabee Sanders said. "We certainly welcome that, would like to be part of that conversation and we would like to see a clear understanding of the facts."
The press secretary said the Trump administration would like to have input from law enforcement, victims' families and policymakers.
Huckabee Sanders said that there was more to be done in the investigation of the Vegas shooting, and the administration wants to continue to be part of the conversation. Ultimately though, she reiterated that the president is "open to the conversation."
"We are certainly open to that moving forward," she said.
The National Rifle Association (NRA) has also called on the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms (ATF) to look again into the issue of bump stocks. The ATF permitted bump stocks as a legal device during the Obama administration.