From The Trussville Tribune staff reports
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Based on a directive signed into place by the Trump administration, bump stocks will soon be illegal to purchase or possess in the United States. Owners of the devices will be required to turn them in to the ATF or destroy them.
The devices cause semi-automatic weapons to fire 400-800 rounds per minute. Approximately 520,000 units have been sold.
The following statement was released on Tuesday.
“Following the mass shooting in Las Vegas, ATF received correspondence from members of the United States Congress, as well as nongovernmental organizations, requesting that ATF examine its past classifications and determine whether bump-stock type devices available on the market constitute machineguns under the statutory definition.
“The Department decided to move forward with the rulemaking process to clarify the meaning of these terms, which are used in the NFA’s (National Firearms Act) statutory definition of ‘machinegun.'”
The device came under scrutiny after Stephen Paddock used them in the Las Vegas massacre. Paddock fired on concert goers from his 32nd-floor hotel suite at the Mandalay Bay casino-hotel.