Legislation seeks to establish permanent bump stock ban

U.S. Reps. Dina Titus (D-NV), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), and Dan Kildee (D-MI) recently introduced the Closing the Bump Stock Loophole Act, which seeks to ban bump stocks permanently.

The bill stems from legal efforts to overturn the present bump stock regulatory ban. When attached to semiautomatic weapons, the devices rapidly increase the rate of fire.

The lawmakers noted bump stocks were used in the October 2017 Las Vegas shooting resulting in 58 deaths and hundreds of injuries.

“Over five years after the deadliest mass shooting in our nation’s history occurred in my district, we still have not permanently outlawed bump stocks,” Titus, a member of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, said. “We must reverse the unfortunate trend of inaction in Congress on gun violence prevention. If we do nothing, especially in light of recent judicial action, we risk allowing the use of bump stocks to be legal and more lives to be lost.”

The bill would require bump stocks to be treated like machine guns and subject them to the strictest prohibitions, per the legislation, with lawmakers citing a 2018 Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) rule banning bump stocks beginning in March of 2019 has led to eight rulings from federal appeals courts and prompting concern the ban could be overturned by the Supreme Court.

“This bipartisan legislation empowers our law enforcement by keeping these dangerous devices out of the hands of criminals,” Fitzpatrick, a former federal gun crimes prosecutor and FBI agent, said. “I remain committed to working with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to advance safety in our communities and while continuing to protect our constitutional rights – Congress can and must do both.”