Crime

NRA, Congress And White House Gang Up On Bump Stocks

The Las Vegas shooting has prompted a political push to ban bump stocks, which let semi-automatic rifles mimic fully automatic rates of fire.

NRA, Congress And White House Gang Up On Bump Stocks
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The mass shooting in Las Vegas now has the pro-gun National Rifle Association calling for tougher laws — not on the guns themselves but on an accessory the gunman might've used.

The NRA's statement still claims banning firearms won't stop mass shootings but says "devices designed to allow semi-automatic rifles to function like fully-automatic rifles should be subject to additional regulations."

That's referring to a "bump stock," a device that uses a semi-automatic rifle's recoil to mimic fully automatic firing. The device was found on 12 weapons recovered from the shooter's hotel room.

Politico notes the device is banned from a lot of firing ranges, including the NRA's in-house one in Fairfax, Virginia.

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Bump stocks are technically legal because they don't modify the mechanical components of semi-automatic rifles. But the Vegas shooting has prompted a legislative push to ban the device.

The move is gaining some traction with Republican leaders, including from the White House and House Speaker Paul Ryan.

With all this talk of a potential ban on bump stocks, sales of the devices have spiked after the Vegas shooting.