Trump for ban on bump stock, mum on other reforms
WASHINGTON:US President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that he has directed the justice department to propose regulations to ban “bump stocks” and other similar devices that turn semi-automatic weapons into automatic machine guns.
Stephen Paddock , the gunman in the Las Vegas mass shooting last year, had used a bump stock to significantly increase the firing speed of his weapons, gunning down 59 people.
“I signed a memorandum directing the attorney general (Jeff Sessions) to propose regulations to ban all devices that turn legal weapons into machine guns,” Trump said at a White House event.
“I expect that these critical regulations will be finalised, Jeff, very soon.”
However, he did not speak about other gun reform issues that have long been on the table, such as basic background checks on buyers to keep firearms out of the reach of criminals and those with mental illnesses.
The bump stock ban will be easy to implement, with widespread support for it even among conservatives — traditionally the fiercest opponents of any changes in gun laws. Even the National Rifle Association, the powerful body leading the gun lobby, is on board.
Around the same time as Trump’s speech, an attempt to legislate a ban on assault rifles such as the one used in the Florida high school shooting past week failed in the state assembly.
“I knew that it wasn’t going to go through,” Sheryl Acquaroli, a 16 year-old who was present in the assembly, told Capitol News Service.
“The next death of someone with an assault rifle here in Florida is going to be on them.”