Sessions Moves to Criminalize Possession of Bump Stocks

Firearm bump stocks would have to be surrendered, destroyed or made inoperable under a ban proposed by the Justice Department.

Firearm bump stocks would have to be surrendered, destroyed or made inoperable under a ban proposed Friday by the Justice Department.

The devices, which allow semi-automatic weapons to fire as fast as a machine gun, became the focus of concern following the discovery that Stephen Paddock attached them to 14 of the 22 rifles he used in the October 2017 shooting rampage in Las Vegas, killing 58 people and injuring more than 700.

"After the senseless shooting in Las Vegas, this proposed rule is a critical step in our effort to reduce the threat of gun violence that is in keeping with the Constitution and the laws passed by Congress," said Attorney General Jeff Sessions in announcing the proposed rule.

President Donald Trump listed the bump stock ban as one of the measures he would support after February's school shooting in Parkland, Florida, reports NBC News.

The proposed rule will be published in the Federal Register, providing for 90 days of public comment. The government can then make the rule final.

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