The Department of Justice announced Tuesday it has started the process of clarifying whether “bump stocks” should be considered an illegal firearms accessory, after several were found at the site of the Oct. 1 Las Vegas shooting that left 58 people dead and more than 500 injured.
Bump stocks can be attached to semi-automatic weapons and use the recoil action of those guns to help them fire faster, effectively turning them into automatic weapons.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives had indicated to lawmakers after the shooting that there was no room for it to regulate bump stocks under current law. But Attorney General Jeff Sessions said an examination would be made.
“Possessing firearm parts that are used exclusively in converting a weapon into a machine gun is illegal, except for certain limited circumstances,” Sessions said. “Today we begin the process of determining whether or not bump stocks are covered by this prohibition.”
“We will go through the regulatory process that is required by law and we will be attentive to input from the public,” he added. “This department is serious about firearms offenses, as shown by the dramatic increase in firearms prosecutions this year. The regulatory clarification we begin today will help us to continue to protect the American people by carrying out the laws duly enacted by our representatives in Congress.”
The Justice Department said the ATF has issued an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, which will explain to the public the review process and how to submit comments. “ATF and the department will proceed in accordance with this process as quickly as possible,” the department said.
The National Rifle Association has come out against bump stock regulation legislation that was introduced in Congress after the shooting, and said it supports new regulations instead.
