*By Carlo Versano* Exactly one year after the worst mass shooting in modern American history, one survivor has reason for optimism. Robert Gaafar, who attended the Route 91 Harvest music festival in Las Vegas last year, told Cheddar that despite the unresponsive pace of gun legislation on the federal level, he is heartened by progress in statehouses around the country. Last October, Stephen Paddock opened fire from the window of his Mandalay Bay suite, killing 58 in a 10-minute reign of terror before turning his gun on himself. Since then, 18 states, with governors who span the political spectrum, have passed gun regulations, while 11 have passed bans on bump stocks ー the lethal devices that turn rifles into ad hoc machine guns. Paddock had 14 bump stocks as part of his arsenal, allowing him to fire more than 1,100 rounds into the crowd below him. "We can do something about this," Gaafar said. As part of the Everytown Survivor Network, he is helping promote the gun-control group's new $5 million ad campaign ahead of the midterm elections. The campaign, "Not One More," targets voters in 15 competitive House districts with messaging about gun safety and promotes "gun sense candidates," as Gaafar called them. Gaafar, an entrepreneur who founded BeerBox, an internet-connected beer vending machine, never planned to become a gun safety activist. Then again, he never planned to be part of a moving target of 20,000 people running for cover "in between reloads," he said. On the one year anniversary of the Vegas shooting, Gaafar and Everytown have focused on supporting state and local politicians who back "straightforward and common sense" gun laws ー like universal background checks, a policy that has near-universal support. Like many others, Gaafar said he's disheartened when he hears politicians say that nothing can be done to stop the American epidemic of gun violence. "Laws do something," he said. "The basic role of government is to protect its citizens." For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/how-one-las-vegas-shooting-survivor-is-working-to-change-americas-gun-laws).

Share:
More In Politics
Yelp to Cover Travel Expenses for Workers Seeking Abortions
This March 19, 2018, file photo shows the Yelp app on an iPad in Baltimore. Yelp reports financial results Thursday, Nov. 7, 2019. The online review service will cover the travel expenses of employees who have to travel out of state for abortions, joining the ranks of major employers trying to help workers affected by restrictions being placed on the procedure in Texas and other states. The benefit announced Tuesday, April 12, 2022 covers Yelp's entire workforce of 4,000 employees, but seems most likely to have its biggest immediate impact on its 200 workers in Texas, which has passed a law banning abortions within the state after six weeks of pregnancy. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)
Former DOJ Agent on Investigation Into Brooklyn Subway Mass Shooting
David Katz, a former federal agent with the Department of Justice, and currently founder, CEO, and owner of Global Security Group, joined Cheddar News to talk about the Tuesday mass shooting on a subway train in Brooklyn, N.Y. even as local authorities have so far stated it was not being investigated as a potential terrorist attack. "At this point between the commissioner of the NYPD and the governor of New York, they're almost saying, 'well, it's an active shooter incident.' Okay, but active shooter incidents can also be motivated by terrorism, so until we know motive, we can't make that conclusion at all," Katz said.
U.S. Stocks Turn Positive in Final Hour to Close Higher
U.S. stocks saw a jump in the final hour of Thursday's session, and ultimately closed slightly higher for the day. Tim Pagliara, Chief Investment Officer of CapWealth, joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss. "The markets have had to digest a lot of action from the federal reserve this quarter and it's affecting everything from mortgage rates to how they value stocks," he said.
Load More