Many believed this was impossible, but it looks as if some Republican leaders in Congress are actually ready to take a step toward gun safety by voting to ban “bump stocks,” which Stephen Paddock apparently used to allow semiautomatic weapons to fire in long, deadly bursts. The NRA hasn’t weighed in on this yet, but some Republicans must figure that banning the previously obscure gun-conversion kit would be an easy way for them to say they’re ready to do something after Las Vegas. Via The New York Times.
According to Paddock’s girlfriend, Marilou Danley, she had no idea that Paddock was planning the Las Vegas massacre or any other violent act. If Danley, who just returned from the Phillipines to speak to the FBI, is telling the truth, it’s another setback for law enforcement officials who are still searching for any hint of a motive for Paddock’s actions. Via The Washington Post. Here’s Danley’s full statement.
Paddock played video poker, for as much as $100 a game, playing as many as several hundred games in an hour. He would gamble tens of thousands of dollars in a sitting. The hotels noticed. He played not just for big money, but also for big perks, including the comped suite at the Mandalay Bay. Via New York Times.
They survived the Las Vegas shooting. But they don’t want more gun control. You shouldn’t be surprised. Via Time.
David French writes in The National Review that the left misunderstands the power of the NRA. What it’s not about, he says, is the money.
Dana Milbank: A narcissist’s guide to helping others understand it is all about you. Via The Washington Post.
If you want some insight into Trumpworld, all you had to do was watch Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s news conference, which he called to insist that he had never wanted to quit (he had) and that he had never called Trump a moron (does anyone really doubt it?). Via The New Yorker.
Tillerson may say he’s staying on at the State Department, but a look at the brief history of the Trump era suggests that’s very unlikely. Via The Atlantic.
Remember that time when Trump suggested that he might wipe out Puerto Rico’s $75 billion debt? You might because it was just two days ago. Well, Wall Street immediately freaked, and the White House very quickly walked back the whole idea. Via Politico.
Jeet Heer: It may seem counterintuitive — or maybe just nuts — but candidates like Roy Moore don’t make the Republicans weaker. In fact, they make them stronger. Via The New Republic.
