In 2017, the country was introduced to the term and product known as a bump stock. While some enthusiasts were familiar with the devices that allowed modified operations of semi-automatic rifles, most Americans weren’t. As we came to learn bump stocks allowed for an increased rate of fire with rifles modified with the device.
At the time of the shooting in Las Vegas, approximately 580,000 bump stocks were owned throughout the US. Contrast that with the 393 million guns owned across the country and you have an idea regarding how rare they actually are. Only one bump stock was owned per 677 legally owned firearms.
After the shooting in Las Vegas, President Trump made clear he would take action to ban bump stocks. After an initial review, he did just that. He signed an executive order banning the devices. The executive order had to go through a period of public comment and scrutiny by various government agencies before taking effect. As of March 26th, 2019, it’s cleared those thresholds and timelines and is set to take effect.
As of March 26th, bump stocks are banned in the United States. In addition to bump stocks no longer being legally manufactured or sold in the US, anyone who owns or possesses them is being instructed to destroy them or turn them into the ATF. There’s no compensation attached to the redemption of them but there could be significant penalties for owning them if found by authorities. There are numerous legal challenges to this decision but as of now none have gained traction and don’t appear to provide a path forward for the devices. In fact, the largest manufacturer of the devices has already entered bankruptcy.
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