ATF Rulings on ‘Bump Stocks’

Q: Did the Obama administration legalize “bump stocks” for semiautomatic rifles?

A: No federal law explicitly addresses “bump stocks.” The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives ruled 10 times between 2008 and 2017 that certain models could not be prohibited under existing gun laws.

FULL QUESTION

I just read on AOL that Trump announced (via tweet of course) the Obama administration legalized the sale of bump stocks. True or false? Naturally, he now takes credit for outlawing them. Please set the record straight.

FULL ANSWER

A “bump stock” is a plastic or metal device that can be attached to the rear of a semiautomatic rifle to make it shoot almost as fast as a fully automatic weapon. The stock uses recoil to make the weapon bump back and forth between the shooter’s shoulder and trigger finger, causing the firearm to fire rapidly.

The devices became part of the gun debate in October after 64-year-old Stephen Paddock used AR-style rifles affixed with bump stocks to shoot people attending an outdoor concert in Las Vegas. More than 50 people were killed and hundreds more were injured.

Then, in February, after at a Florida high school, Attorney General Jeff Sessions to look that it was proposing a rule to that effect.