Will Congress prevent costs of another Las Vegas shooting?

Following the massacre in Las Vegas, reporters asked Sen. Chuck Grassley whether he supported any specific firearm regulations. Instead of an answer, he posed another question: “Is there anything we could’ve done in the past that would have kept that from happening?”

Actually, yes, there is much Congress could have done to prevent an individual from legally amassing an arsenal, obtaining unlimited amounts of ammunition and securing so-called bump stocks, a gun accessory that transform semi-automatic weapons into battlefield weapons. 

It’s called lawmaking. This is the same kind of lawmaking leaders all over the world have engaged in to prevent its citizenry from essentially unfettered access to an unlimited number of firearms. 

These firearms include the gun a Dubuque toddler used to shoot himself in the face last year. And the one a Des Moines teen was arrested for bringing to his high school last week. And the firearm used by an Iowan sentenced in May to two life sentences to ambush and kill police officers from Des Moines and Urbandale. And the many guns purchased by a man to shoot hundreds of concert-goers in Las Vegas. 

Grassley has since indicated he may be open to limiting bump stocks. Yet when asked about this during a visit to Boone on Monday, he suggested such a regulation could be imposed by the Trump administration, which would spare lawmakers from possibly irritating the National Rifle Association. 

Congress has essentially unlimited power to impose regulations on firearms. But lawmakers do not want to act. So this country’s epidemic of gun deaths will continue. Considering that reality, Congress should at the very least ensure Americans have health insurance. 

If a gunshot does not immediately kill you, it will land you in a hospital. In addition to the 57 innocent people killed in Las Vegas, 500 with injuries overwhelmed area hospitals. Bullets shatter bones, lacerate organs and destroy limbs. It can take months to recover. No one knows this better than U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise, who was shot in June and didn't return to work until late September. The cost of medical treatment can be staggering.

A Chicago Tribune analysis earlier this year found the hospital bill for the first 35 minutes treating a gunshot victim is $21,000. The Chicago patients racked up an average of more than $93,000 in charges.

If the hospital charges for each victim in Las Vegas was half that — or about $46,000 each — the total bill for this single gun violence incident would total about $23 million. That doesn’t include care needed after leaving a hospital, from medication and physical therapy to subsequent surgeries and counseling. 

Survivors of the Las Vegas carnage may develop post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and sleep problems. Police officers, medical professionals and family members of victims may also be affected. When your spouse bleeds to death in your arms at a country music concert, you may later need help from a mental health professional. 

The failure of Congress to take any significant action on gun control ensures more Americans will die from firearm accidents and attacks. Those fortunate enough to survive will be faced with huge medical bills. They should have access to health insurance to help cover the costs.