While gun rights advocates are vigorously appealing the ruling, a bump stock ban has officially gone into effect in the United States.
There was an unexpected proponent of this particular ban: President Donald Trump. That may initially seem surprising due to vocal support for the Second Amendment in the past, but the change in the legal definition of bump stocks is thought by many to be a way to appease the ultra-liberal left. The $250,000 fine and up to 10 years in a federal prison are likely to be a strong deterrent against people who are willing to buck the law to keep their bump stocks. here’s everything you need to know about this developing issue.
Appeal Headed to Supreme Court
The nation’s highest court is being petitioned to stop the bump stock ban from going into effect, but it appears that those efforts are too little too late.
Chief Justice John Roberts has ruled that the ban can stay in place, but there are additional appeals being made to Justice Sonia Sotomayor. Since the ban is already set to become law, it would be difficult for an appeal to be heard in time. Washington, D.C. District judge repeatedly rejected challenges to the ban, which were raised under the concern that the law was pushed through too hastily.
So far, the bump stock ban has passed every trial and is currently in effect.
What’s Actually Banned?
The ban technically bars Americans from buying, selling, owning or otherwise transferring a bump stock: defined as a device that allows a rifle to mimic an automatic weapon.
Individuals who currently own one of these devices will not be grandfathered in and allowed to keep the bump stocks. Instead, everyone is required to either melt, shred or crush the offending items. Alternatively, bump stocks can be turned into the federal authorities with no questions asked as long as you’re within the 90 days of the inception of the ban.
Each bump stock is made up of multiple parts that are legal — except when combined. The plastic stock helps accelerate the trigger pulls for a rifle by “bumping” the trigger by harnessing the recoil of the rifle. This faster action is deemed to be unnecessary for any legal uses of the weapon.
What Happens Next?
While some people are stating that the bump stock ban is simply a political stunt by President Trump to bring the country together, it’s true that the devices are not being used as manufacturers originally intended. These mechanisms were originally designed to help individuals with a disability fire a gun more effectively. Unfortunately, the few individuals who have elected to use bump stocks, such as the Las Vegas shooter who killed more than 50 people, have caused the devices to become a rallying cry for gun control advocates.
One of the best ways to ensure that guns are used as intended is through ongoing education, something that can’t be solved through legislation by the government.
~ Firearm Daily
