South Florida Republican U.S. Rep. Carlos Curbelo says he is ready to revisit the issue of gun safety in an interview with WLRN's Sundial.
This puts him at odds with his party's leadership in Congress.
During an interview with host Luis Hernandez, Curbelo said, "Right now the best candidate for a common denominator is to focus on these bump stock devices which are so deadly and so potent."
A dozen of the rifles Las Vegas mass shooter Stephen Paddock had inside his hotel room when he opened fire Sunday night were modified with bump-fire stocks.
The device replaces a rifle's normal stock and allows the gun to be fired faster. The stock of a rifle is the part held against the shooter's shoulder.
On Tuesday, GOP leaders on Capitol Hill said it was premature to consider any legislative response to the mass shooting that killed 59 people and left more than 500 injured.
"I've even spoken to people who are involved in the gun manufacturing business," said Curbelo. "And they have told me that these things should not be legal. So I really see that for the first time we may have a chance at getting a bipartisan solution to this great challenge."
Curbelo's congressional district stretches from Kendall to Key West. It is a target for both Republicans and Democrats in 2018. Curbelo tends to align with moderate Republicans in Congress. For instance, he co-founded the Climate Solutions Caucus with members from both parties. He was also a vocal critic of Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential race.
"We need to provide some answers, some solutions," Curbelo told WLRN. "These conversations have already started, at least privately. I think you'll soon see that some members will be speaking up more and more about finding a bipartisan consensus around sensible gun policy in this country."
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