President Donald Trump on Tuesday directed the Justice Department and Attorney General Jeff Sessions to propose regulations that would ban bump stocks and “all devices” like the bump stock.
Trump says he’s directed Justice Department to propose rules banning “all devices” like the bump stocks used in Las Vegas massacre. https://t.co/mUJaHSKEjd
— The Associated Press (@AP) February 20, 2018
A bump stock is an accessory that can be used to make a semiautomatic weapon fire like an automatic weapon, meaning a shooter could fire several rounds in one second, as the bump stock utilizes a gun’s natural recoil.
It was the device used in the Las Vegas massacre in October this past year, which resulted in 58 people being killed and several hundred others injured.
Trump said Tuesday has has signed a memo that directs the Justice Department to propose the regulations, which would “ban all devices” like bump stocks.
“We must move past clichés and tired debates and focus on evidence-based solutions and security measures that actually work,” Trump said.
Trump’s announcement comes almost one week after the Florida school shooting that left 17 people dead. The 19-year-old accused shooter used a semiautomatic AR-15 rifle.
Since the Florida school shooting, the country has engaged in a heated debate about gun control.
In December, the Justice Department had announced it was reviewing whether or not bump stocks should be banned.
The review would try to determine whether existing regulations on the illegality of owning a machine gun can be applied to bump stocks, the Justice Department had said.
The announcement came just one day before the acting director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) testified before a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the gun accessory.
Bump stocks have come under scrutiny in the past several months after the Las Vegas shooter used them to fire guns in rapid succession. Bump stocks are widely available for sale because the ATF deemed the bump stock to be a part or accessory that is not subject to regulation by the ATF.
