Grassley: Las Vegas shooting unlikely to move Congress on gun control

New legislation regulating gun ownership would struggle to win the 60 votes necessary in the U.S. Senate, Sen. Chuck Grassley said Wednesday, making such efforts unlikely even in the aftermath of the Las Vegas massacre that killed dozens and injured hundreds.

“It doesn’t matter whether it’s legislation that you might be asking me about or anything else,” Grassley, R-Iowa, told local reporters Wednesday when asked if Las Vegas changed the political discussion. “As we’re developing legislation, you’ve got to develop the legislation so you can get 60 votes."

That procedural question precedes and outweighs debate over the specifics of potential new gun regulation, he said.

“Can you get 60 votes for it?” he asked. “And even if you can get 60 votes for something … you’ve still got to get a leader who’s going to bring it up. So that’s about all I can say. It’s more of a process question answer I have to give you than an answer of substance.”

MORE: Las Vegas shooter bought 33 guns in last 12 months

Grassley is chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which has broad jurisdiction over criminal justice issues, federal law enforcement and constitutional matters. When asked if he supports any specific firearm regulations, Grassley questioned whether any new regulations could’ve made a difference in Las Vegas, where a shooter fired on concertgoers from a 32nd-floor hotel room.

“If you were considering the situation in Las Vegas and what happened, is there anything we could’ve had on the books already that would’ve prevented that?” Grassley asked. “You need to make sure legislation really solves the problem. Is there anything we could’ve done in the past that would’ve kept that from happening?”

What about, a reporter asked, the availability of “bump stocks” – the firearm add-ons that allow semiautomatic rifles to fire rounds at a rate similar to automatic weapons? The Las Vegas shooter reportedly had 12 such devices in the hotel room from which he carried out the attack.

“Well, then you get back to the answer I gave you previously,” Grassley said. “You’ve got to make sure it’s worth moving a piece of legislation – can you get 60 votes for it?"

ANALYSIS: When it comes to America's gun debate it's feelings over facts

Considering specific policy changes is also premature, Grassley said.

“We’re still learning what really happened there,” he said of the Las Vegas shooting. “We need to wait and see what the police reports say. Were loopholes exploited? We need to study everything before we make some judgment.”

Later in the call, another journalist asked how Grassley’s religious faith “informs your views on gun control.”

“Do you ever put it in that context?” Register columnist Kathie Obradovich asked.

“I take an oath to uphold the Constitution, not an oath to uphold the Bible,” Grassley replied. “So I have to do what the Constitution says. The Supreme Court’s very clear about the right of individuals to have firearms.”