Rep. Titus, Rep. Fitzpatrick, Rep. Kildee Introduce Bump Stock Ban Following Court Ruling to Overturn the Regulation

 Washington, D.C. - Today Rep. Dina Titus, a member of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, along with Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01) and Rep. Dan Kildee (MI-08), introduced the Closing the Bump Stock Loophole Act amid legal efforts to overturn the current regulatory ban on these dangerous devices.

Bump stocks–devices attached to semiautomatic weapons to rapidly increase the rate of fire—were used in the tragic 1 October shooting in Las Vegas which took 58 lives and injured hundreds more. This legislation would codify a permanent ban into law, requiring bump stocks to be treated like machine guns and subjecting them to the strictest of prohibitions. The Closing the Bump Stock Loophole Act is supported by Giffords: Courage to Fight Gun Violence, Everytown for Gun Safety, Brady: United Against Gun Violence, and the Newtown Action Alliance.

While a 2018 rule imposed by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) banned bump stocks beginning in March of 2019, the legality of the ban has led to eight rulings from federal appeals courts, prompting concern that the ban could be overturned by the Supreme Court.

“Over five years after the deadliest mass shooting in our nation’s history occurred in my district, we still have not permanently outlawed bump stocks,” said Congresswoman Dina Titus (NV-01). “We must reverse the unfortunate trend of inaction in Congress on gun violence prevention. If we do nothing, especially in light of recent judicial action, we risk allowing the use of bump stocks to be legal and more lives to be lost.”

“I’m proud to reintroduce the Closing the Bump Stock Loophole Act and work with Congresswoman Titus toward our shared goal of protecting our communities from gun violence. This bipartisan legislation empowers our law enforcement by keeping these dangerous devices out of the hands of criminals,” said Congressman Fitzpatrick, a former federal gun crimes prosecutor and FBI agent. “I remain committed to working with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to advance safety in our communities and while continuing to protect our constitutional rights – Congress can and must do both.”

“Devices like bump stocks that turn firearms into fully-automatic machine guns have no place on our streets. Congress must act to keep our communities safe from gun violence,” said Congressman Dan Kildee (MI-08). “I am proud to introduce this legislation, with Republicans and Democrats, to get dangerous bump stocks off our streets and make our communities safer.”

“In 2017, we witnessed the horrifically destructive power of bump stocks when they were used at a Las Vegas music festival to perpetrate the deadliest mass shooting in our country's history. A gunman took the lives of 60 people and injured hundreds more in just a few minutes. Despite ATF's efforts to rightfully regulate these devices as machine guns, federal courts have unfortunately challenged ATF's authority to ban bump stocks through rulemaking. Adzi Vokhiwa, Giffords Federal Affairs Director. “It is imperative that Congress prioritize public safety and ban bump stocks once and for all. We thank Representatives Titus and Fitzpatrick for introducing the Closing the Bump Stock Loophole Act to ensure that no more communities experience a tragedy like the one in Las Vegas."

“Unregulated civilian ownership of bump stocks presents a clear and present danger to American public safety. Effectively rendering semi-automatic firearms into machine guns which can fire hundreds of rounds per minute, bump stocks allowed the shooter in Las Vegas in 2017 to kill nearly 60 people, and shoot over 400 more, in only 10 minutes,” said Brady Director of Federal Policy Mark Collins. “Recent court decisions regarding bump stock ownership further highlight the need for legislative action to prevent them from falling into the wrong hands. Brady is grateful to Congresswoman Titus for her leadership on this issue and proud to endorse this legislation.” 

“Prohibiting bump stocks, which effectively turn rifles into machine guns, is the very definition of common sense,” said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety. “As the gun industry hosts its trade show just two miles from the site of the 2017 mass shooting in Las Vegas that was made far deadlier by bump stocks, we applaud Rep. Titus for leading the charge to codify the rules that keep these dangerous devices out of our communities.”

BACKGROUND

• Closing The Bump Stock Loophole Act would legislatively ban bump stocks and limit the industry’s ability to use supplemental devices to loophole their way around existing gun laws.
• This bill would treat bump stocks in the same way as machine guns under the National Firearms Act, meaning it would be generally illegal to manufacture, sell, or possess bump stocks for civilian use.
• The industry would be unable to design around this law because it covers not only bump stock devices but also other parts and modifications that similarly increase the rate of fire by eliminating the need for each single function of the trigger. This language is the most explicit description of these devices that exists.