Cities, states ban bump stocks after push stalls in Congress
By LISA MARIE PANE, Associated Press
In the immediate aftermath of the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history, there was a fevered pitch to ban bump stocks, the device that allowed the shooter’s semi-automatic rifles to mimic the rapid fire of machine guns.
With that push stalled at the federal level, a handful of states and some cities are moving ahead with bans of their own.
Massachusetts and New Jersey — two states led by Republican governors — as well as the cities of Denver and Columbia, South Carolina, have enacted laws prohibiting the sale and possession of the devices, which were attached to a half-dozen of the long guns found in the hotel room of the Las Vegas shooter who in October killed 58 people and injured hundreds more attending a nearby outdoor concert. A little over a dozen other states are also considering bans on bump stocks.
Gun-control advocates say the push fits a pattern in gun politics: inaction in Washington that forces states to take the lead. Gun-rights advocates call it a knee-jerk reaction that will do little to stop bad guys from killing, and vow a legal challenge.
For Zach Elmore, the issue is deeply personal. His sister among those wounded in the Las Vegas attack. He finds hope in the statewide and local efforts to ban bump stocks.
“Hopefully it’s the start of a big movement versus just a flash in the pan,” Elmore said. “Obviously you cannot legislate (against) evil, but you can legislate the things with which bad people will use to perpetrate evil.”
The devices were originally intended to help people with disabilities and were little known and little sold until the Las Vegas shooting. They fit over the stock and pistol grip of a semi-automatic rifle and allow the weapon to fire rapidly, some 400 to 800 rounds per minute, mimicking a fully automatic firearm.
The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives reviewed the devices and approved them in 2010, ruling they did not amount to machine guns that are regulated under the National Firearms Act that dates to the 1930s.
Richard Vasquez was assistant chief of the ATF’s technology bureau and led the review of bump stocks. He stands by the agency’s 2010 ruling, which relied on a key difference between semi-automatic and fully automatic firearms: While semi-automatic firearms require a separate and independent pull of the trigger to fire a bullet, fully automatic firearms can fire multiple rounds with a single trigger pull. ATF determined bump stocks didn’t convert a semi-automatic firearm into one that is fully auto.
“It’s a proper determination. Everybody wants to jump the gun and say that ATF made a mistake,” said Vasquez, who left the agency in 2014. “ATF didn’t make a mistake.”
The federal agency is reviewing its ruling, something Vasquez and others caution is a dangerous move without Congress first changing the law to specifically make such devices illegal.
“If ATF is allowed to write a regulation to change the definition of this device, instead of a law, it’s going to give all government agencies authority to change their regulations, which could affect us in a wide variety of ways,” Vasquez warned.
Legislation in Congress has remained in limbo despite early signs from a bipartisan mix of lawmakers and advocates who voiced alarm that such a device was deemed legal and on the market. Even the National Rifle Association sounded open to great regulation of bump stocks.
Joyce Malcolm, a professor at George Mason University’s Antonin Scalia School of Law, said the bans likely would withstand a legal challenge, but she wonders about more practical matters: How might they be enforced?
“I don’t see a real constitutional issue. I just wonder about actually getting these devices out of circulation for people who already have them,” she said.
It’s not known how many of the devices are in circulation. At the time of the Las Vegas shooting, gun dealers said they rarely had customers wanting to buy one — but then couldn’t keep up with the demand in the days and months afterward. The leading manufacturer of bump stocks, Texas-based Slide Fire Solutions, briefly stopped selling them, posting a notice on its website that it had suspended sales to keep up with demand. It has since resumed sales.
Massachusetts, which has some of the nation’s strictest gun laws, enacted its ban a month after the Las Vegas shooting, pushed through a Democratic-controlled Legislature and signed into law by a Republican lieutenant governor. New Jersey followed suit last month with a measure signed into law by outgoing Republican Gov. Chris Christie. About a dozen other states are considering similar bills.
“This is a very familiar story. The Congress cowers in the face of the NRA, and the states act,” said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety, which advocates for tougher gun laws.
Connecticut, home to some of the world’s most legendary gun makers, is among the other states considering bans.
Rep. William Tong, a Democrat and House chairman of the Connecticut Legislature’s Judiciary Committee, called it a commonsense measure that puts public safety first.
“The federal government has demonstrated that, given the composition of the Congress right now, it’s not possible to pass commonsense gun laws,” he said. “Connecticut can’t wait.”
Gun-rights advocates say the efforts undermine the Second Amendment and will do little to stop criminals.
“Anti-gun Democrats love to ban things. That is their answer,” said Erich Pratt, executive director of Gun Owners of America, who added bump stocks have rarely, if ever, been used in a crime before the Las Vegas shooting. “This is their chance to say, ‘Hey, we’re doing something. Look at us. We’re doing something.’ It’s not going to do anything.”
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Follow Lisa Marie Pane at http://twitter.com/lisamariepane

In blow to GOP, Supreme Court won’t block PA redistricting
By MARK SCOLFORO and MARK SHERMAN, Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday let a court-ordered redrawing of congressional districts in Pennsylvania proceed, denying a plea from Republicans legislative leaders to block it.
Justice Samuel Alito, who handles emergency appeals from Pennsylvania, rejected the request from the GOP leaders and voters that the court put on hold an order from the state Supreme Court that could now produce new congressional districts in the coming two weeks.
The Pennsylvania high court ruled last month that the map of 18 districts violated the state constitution because it unfairly benefited Republicans.
The U.S. Supreme Court typically does not review state court decisions based on a state’s constitution, but the Republicans asked the high court to make an exception.
The decision comes just four days before the Republican-controlled Legislature’s deadline for submitting a replacement map for Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf to consider.
The Democratic-majority state Supreme Court has ruled that if lawmakers and the governor can’t agree to a plan, the court will quickly move to adopt one.
Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation has been 13-5 in favor of Republicans during the three election cycles since the GOP-drawn 2011 map took effect. Democrats have about 800,000 more registered voters than Republicans and hold all three statewide row offices, but Republicans hold solid majorities in both chambers of the Legislature.
Under the process laid out two weeks ago by four of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court justices, all Democrats, the Legislature has until Friday to pass a new map, after which Wolf will have until Thursday, Feb. 15, to decide whether to endorse it and submit it to the justices.
The state Supreme Court said it expected new districts to be in place by Feb. 19, and the new map will be in play for the May 15 congressional primaries.
Republican leaders successfully defended the 2011 plan against a separate lawsuit in federal court and have complained that the state court order did not provide sufficient guidance for them to draw a new map.
A group of voters persuaded all five Democrats on the state’s seven-justice high court that the map violated the state constitution. The Jan. 22 majority order said new districts should be compact and contiguous and only split counties, cities, towns, boroughs, townships or wards when needed to ensure population equality.
The quick turn-around the majority ordered last month caused one of the Democrats on the court, Justice Max Baer, to state he was “concerned that the procedure detailed by the court may not provide the parties with due process moving forward.”
Late last week the two highest-ranking Republican leaders in the General Assembly, Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati and House Speaker Mike Turzai, sought recusal of one of the Democratic justices, David Wecht. They argued Wecht had made statements critical of gerrymandering during his successful 2015 campaign that they viewed as evidence of bias.
On Monday, Republican Justice Sallie Mundy filed a notice that she had received a $25,000 campaign donation from Scarnati but was confident she could rule fairly in the case.
The U.S. Supreme Court last month delayed a lower-court order that would have produced new congressional districts in North Carolina. The justices are currently considering challenges to Wisconsin’s state legislative districts and a congressional district in Maryland.
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Sherman reported from Washington.

THIS AFERNOON BEAVER FALLS FIRE OFFICIALS WILL BEGIN THE PROCESS OF DETERMINING THE CAUSE OF A FIRE THAT TOTALLY DESTROYED A HOME ON 9TH AVENUE YESTERDAY MORNING. FIRE CHIEF MARK STOWE GAVE OUR NEWSMAN PAT SEPTAK AN UPDATE MOMENTS AGO…

….BEAVER FALLS FIRE CHIEF MARK STOWE.

ALIQUIPPA’S MAYOR RECENTLY VISITED HEMPFIELD AREA HIGH SCHOOL…AS WE HEAR IN THIS REPORT FROM BEAVER COUNTY RADIO’S SANDY GIORDANO:

P&LE RAILROAD IN ALIQUIPPA HAS CONFIRMED THAT SOME INTERIOR RENOVATIONS ARE NOW IN PROGRESS. BEAVER COUNTY RADIO NEWS CORRESPONDENT SANDY GIORDANO HAS DETAILS…

Shell’s Pipeline plans for the area have ended up being a cause of concern for Ambridge officials. Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano explains why….

WEATHER FORECAST FOR MONDAY, FEBRUARY 5TH, 2018

TODAY – SNOW SHOWERS THIS MORNING. REMAINING
PARTLY CLOUDY THROUGHOUT THE DAY.
HIGH – 27.

TONIGHT – MORE SNOW SHOWERS DEVELOPING TONIGHT.
ACCUMULATION LESS THAN AN INCH. LOW – 21.

TUESDAY – CLOUDY. HIGH AROUND 30.

Fire crews are on the scene of a fully engulfed structure fire on 9th Ave. in Beaver Falls. Crews were called to the scene mid morning today, Sunday Febuary 4, 2018. Upon arriving the structure was fully envolved to the point where eventually the structure collapsed. Tune into AM Beaver County with Matt Drzik and Pat Septak tomorrow morning for more on this story. We will also keep you up to date on Beaver county radio.com and our Facebook page.

By MESFIN FEKADU, AP Music Writer
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Jennifer Lopez raised money for Hurricane Maria victims in Puerto Rico, celebrated an anniversary with beau Alex Rodriguez and covered Prince songs at a pre-Super Bowl concert in Minneapolis.
Lopez headlined the DIRECTV NOW Super Saturday Night concert, working the stage with sizzling and sharp dance moves and singing hits like “I’m Real” and “Love Don’t Cost a Thing.”
She changed at least seven times during the nearly two-hour concert: She started in a body suit and then switched to a loose jersey that read “J LO” and the No. 13 — one of the many odes to A-Rod.
When she performed her new dance single “Us,” released on Friday, she said worked on the song a year ago — around the time she started dating the former New York Yankee player. Lopez also used a baseball bat as a prop during “Jenny from the Block.”
Though Super Bowl 52 is happening Sunday, when the New England Patriots take on the Philadelphia Eagles, Lopez said “the big show is tonight.”
“You get full time, you get over time … we can do whatever we want to do. There are no censors, ain’t no time delay. We came to play,” she said.
She sported a dramatic, long fur-like coat during a dance break for “If You Had My Love,” weaving in a bit of Sheila E’s “The Glamorous Life.”
Appropriately, she sang a medley of Prince songs for the Minneapolis crowd — including “When Doves Cry” and “Darling Nikki” — and even slide across the stage on her knees while a guitarist gave his best impression of The Purple One. It earned roars from the crowd.
Lopez, 48, also covered Aretha Franklin’s “Respect”; danced to Cardi B’s “Bodak Yellow” and Camila Cabello’s “Havana”; was joined by Ne-Yo for a duet of “All I Have”; and let DJ Khaled work the audience up while she changed outfits.
At one point she said, “We need something sexy for the sexy people from Minneapolis,” and was joined by shirtless male dancers. In a lingerie ensemble, she danced sensually on a chair as red lights shined onto the stage.
She closed the set with a festive vibe with “Let’s Get Loud,” as her dancers played congos and pyrotechnics burst in the air.
Saturday’s concert raised awareness for post-Hurricane Maria relief and recovery effort in Puerto Rico. AT&T said it would match charitable contributions up to $200K to the Hispanic Federation, and it would give a $1 donation to the Hispanic Federation for every tweet using the hashtag #JLoNOW.
Lopez said she wanted “to help all of our friends in Puerto Rico who are still trying to rebuild their lives.”
“Together we can do great things,” she told the audience.