Bump stocks came to the general public’s attention after the deadly Las Vegas mass shooting at a country music concert that killed 58; until then they were a relatively obscure accessory known only to gun buffs, but suddenly they were targeted for a blanket ban, and President Donald Trump tweeted that he wasn’t opposed to bump stocks being outlawed.
On Tuesday, the Justice Department announced a new federal rule which will reclassify bump stocks as machine guns, effectively making them illegal to possess.
Stephen Gutowski of the Washington Free Beacon has more.
Here is the new rule DOJ is announcing today which reclassifies bump fire stock as machineguns under the National Firearms Act. That will effectively ban them and require anyone who currently owns them to either dispose of them or be subject to charges. https://t.co/owrBXoLdrY
— Stephen Gutowski (@StephenGutowski) December 18, 2018
We can take or leave bump stocks, but it’s a tricky precedent when something you owned legally today makes you a criminal tomorrow if you haven’t disposed of it or surrendered it to authorities.
DOJ apparently briefed some reporters about the new bump fire stock ban. I wasn't one of them. Here's Buzzfeed's report: https://t.co/8Z1NDE2eNQ
— Stephen Gutowski (@StephenGutowski) December 18, 2018
The NRA hasn't released any statement on the final rule ordering the banning the possession of bump fire stocks but I'll let you know if they do.
— Stephen Gutowski (@StephenGutowski) December 18, 2018
Here is the summary of the new rule. pic.twitter.com/turxpQny3r
— Stephen Gutowski (@StephenGutowski) December 18, 2018
We’re not the gun experts that Gutowski is, but yeah, that description of how bump stocks work doesn’t sound correct at all.
I have to point out that it's not true. That isn't how bump fire stocks work. You have to actuate the trigger for each shot fired. So, they're basically just saying bump fire stocks do something they clearly don't do.
— Stephen Gutowski (@StephenGutowski) December 18, 2018
Additionally, regardless of how you feel about bump fire stocks, the mechanism for outlawing the devices is what gun rights activists have long considered confiscation. There is no grandfathering. Possession will become completely illegal 90 days after the rule goes into effect.
— Stephen Gutowski (@StephenGutowski) December 18, 2018
Here is how federal law defines a machinegun: "any weapon which shoots, is designed to shoot, or can be readily restored to shoot, automatically more than one shot, without manual reloading, by a single function of the
trigger."— Stephen Gutowski (@StephenGutowski) December 18, 2018
But like he said, a bump stock facilitates multiple pulls of the trigger; it in no way turns a semiautomatic rifle into a machine gun.
It's pretty straightforward. If it can fire more than one shot per trigger pull it is a machinegun. Otherwise, it is not. Bump fire requires a trigger pull for each shot fired.
— Stephen Gutowski (@StephenGutowski) December 18, 2018
Here is the DOJ's explanation for all this: pic.twitter.com/KBDixs4W19
— Stephen Gutowski (@StephenGutowski) December 18, 2018
They expect the rule to go into effect on March 21st. So, that's the date it will become illegal for anyone to possess a bump fire stock.
— Stephen Gutowski (@StephenGutowski) December 18, 2018
It’s kind of like that attempted ban of “assault weapons” that Deerfield, Ill. passed that would have required gun owners to hand over their legally purchased firearms to authorities or be fined $1,000 a day.
Hint: not one person is going to turn one in
— Sam Williams (@SamWilliams360) December 18, 2018
Banning is stupid. Won't work.
Unnecessary anyway.— ❌ ??2020?? (@babysgramma) December 18, 2018
Did Congress vote on this law? If it is not a statute. It is worthless.
— ?? Afterseven ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ (@Afterseven) December 18, 2018
Congress was supposed to do something about it, but Congress doesn’t do much these days.
Bump stocks do not a machine gun make.
How is this happening under Trump??
— Jingle on Dees (@LaurenDees1) December 18, 2018
Like we said above, he was fine with the idea. Here’s his tweet from March:
Obama Administration legalized bump stocks. BAD IDEA. As I promised, today the Department of Justice will issue the rule banning BUMP STOCKS with a mandated comment period. We will BAN all devices that turn legal weapons into illegal machine guns.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 23, 2018
It’s one instance where he kept his word, but we’re not sure if it’s a good precedent for law-abiding gun owners.
Related:
Deerfield, Ill., passes gun ban, votes to fine citizens $1,000 a day for possessing 'assault weapons' https://t.co/gQ4FpquTnD
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) April 4, 2018
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