DOJ, ATF to review legal status of bump-fire stocks
Feds take first steps toward regulating bump-fire stocks after Stephen Paddock killed 58 people attending a concert in Las Vegas.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) announced on Tuesday they had initiated a review of the legality of bump-fire stocks.
"The Department of Justice has the duty to enforce our laws, protect our rights, and keep the American people safe," Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in a press release. "Possessing firearm parts that are used exclusively in converting a weapon into a machine gun is illegal, except for certain limited circumstances. Today we begin the process of determining whether or not bump stocks are covered by this prohibition."
The ATF began the regulatory process on Tuesday by submitting an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to the Office of Management and Budget.
"We will go through the regulatory process that is required by law and we will be attentive to input from the public," Sessions said. "This Department is serious about firearms offenses, as shown by the dramatic increase in firearms prosecutions this year. The regulatory clarification we begin today will help us to continue to protect the American people by carrying out the laws duly enacted by our representatives in Congress."
Bump-fire stocks have come under scrutiny after they were used by a shooter in Las Vegas, Nev., to kill 58 people.
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