U.S. Justice Department considers possible 'bump stocks' ban

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

#U.S. DECEMBER 5, 2017 / 2:32 PM / UPDATED 8 HOURS AGO

U.S. Justice Department considers possible 'bump stocks' ban

Sarah N. Lynch, Eric Walsh
3 MIN READ

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department said on Tuesday that it is considering a possible ban on certain bump stocks, the attachments that make semiautomatic rifles fire faster and were used in the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history in Las Vegas in October.

The Las Vegas gunman’s use of bump stock to allow his weapons to fire like fully automatic machine guns, killing 58 people and wounding hundreds, has led to rare bipartisan agreement in Congress on the need to review whether they should be banned.

“Possessing firearm parts that are used exclusively in converting a weapon into a machine gun is illegal, except for certain limited circumstances,” U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) said in a joint statement. “Today we begin the process of determining whether or not bump stocks are covered by this prohibition.”

Authorities said Las Vegas shooter Stephen Paddock’s ability to fire hundreds of rounds per minute over a 10-minute period from his 32nd-floor hotel suite was a major factor in the high casualty count. Paddock, 64, killed himself before police stormed his hotel suite.

-snip-

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-guns/u-s-justice-department-considers-possible-bump-stocks-ban-idUSKBN1DZ2U9

[Decoy of Fenris]

1. I've met no one on any side of the aisle (yet) who would oppose this on second amendment grounds.

Even the most right-wing militia-type nutters I know have said, at worst, that they wouldn't mind a ban on these, as they serve no purpose other than feel-good rock-and-roll firing and the potential for mayhem. At the very least, we should probably regulate these devices somehow, if not require a registry of them. I'm no fan of registration of private property, but these things are just hazardous to everyone around them, shooter or not.

[The Mouth]

2. They are good for nothing except firing off a lot of ammo

no accuracy to speak of. No real use besides firing into a crowd or shooting up a car. Hard to ban something that can be replicated with basically a rubber band and a bit of ingenuity, but still, useless so why not.

[Kaleva]

3. This guy can achieve pretty good accuracy

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

4. I'm okay with a prohibition

I don't think it will mean very much in terms of other mass shooters. It's probably easier to produce your own bump stock than it is to make a full-auto lower.

If the bumps are banned, I foresee "80%" bumps becoming available.

I am against any type of registration. Bump fire is either legal or not.
Registration is a privacy compromise, end of story.

Registration alone would not prevent massacres like the one at Mandalay Bay.