Banning ‘bump stocks’ is a slippery slope
In the column “After Las Vegas shooting, we
should all agree to ban ‘bump stocks,’ ” Christian Schneider called for the banning of devices that modify rifles to fire weapons more like machine guns. He writes that very few crimes have been committed using weapons legally registered under the National Firearms Act of 1934.
There are those who believe all firearms should be banned. They know they’d never get a single piece of prohibition-style legislation that would ban all firearms passed. So instead, they work toward a total ban one small step at a time. Look at the Firearm Owners Protection Act of 1986, where Congress and anti-gun proponents got a provision into the bill limiting civilian sale of fully automatic firearms to those already existing and in lawful ownership. Those firearms already existing were allowed to be owned and transferred, according to NFA laws. But, no new fully automatic firearms could be manufactured for civilian sale.
A ban on any firearm or device is simply a steppingstone toward banning all firearms. Although I would probably not buy a bump stock under normal circumstances, rest assured that I will be ordering several now that there is a possibility that they may be banned.
When guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns. The law-abiding public will be defenseless against them. Steve Bentley
Forsyth, Ga.
THE RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS
If more people carried guns, do you think the U.S. would be safer?
A “bump stock” doesn’t make a semiautomatic firearm fully automatic. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives reviewed bump stocks under the Obama administration and concluded that they are legal.
If Congress wants to make them illegal, that’s fine, but it won’t have any effect. This seems to be the only time a bump stock has been used in a mass shooting in America, even though they’ve been around for years. Banning them won’t prevent a terrorist from using other guns or even a vehicle.
Let’s focus on the people who commit crimes. What can we do to identify them before they act?
David Swain
TWITTER @USATOPINION
We asked our followers whether “bump stocks,” like the ones used by the Las Vegas shooter, should be banned.
Of course bump stocks should be banned. They turn a semiautomatic weapon into a machine gun. @ToombsNorman There is no constitutional right on gun accessories; so ban them. @liberalgoddess No. Where do you draw the line on what should be banned? You can’t stop an evil person. Guns are just tools. @HarpAmyStabler No. Bump stock sales should just be restricted and monitored. @bendapplegate There is no reason for bump stocks to be on the market. No citizen should be able to shoot hundreds of bullets in minutes. @RoadrunnerTalen For more, follow @USATOpinion or #tellusatoday.