Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., said President Trump’s plan to order a ban on “bump stocks” is not enough, and that her legislation codifying the ban should be taken up in Congress.
Feinstein pointed to a statement from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives last year that they lacked the power to ban the devices, which can increase a gun’s rate of fire.
Feinstein last year introduced a bill to ban bump stocks as well as similar devices.
“If ATF tries to ban these devices after admitting repeatedly that it lacks the authority to do so, that process could be tied up in court for years, and that would mean bump stocks would continue to be sold. Legislation is the only answer,” Feinstein said in a statement Tuesday.
Earlier, Trump announced he has directed the ATF to ban bump stocks, which were used last year in the Las Vegas shooting that killed 58 people and injured more than 850.
Gun advocacy groups prefer a regulatory fix in order to avoid opening the House and Senate floor to a gun control debate and expansion beyond a bump stock ban.
