Massachusetts on its way to banning bump stock gun devices
October 12, 2017 at 5:46 p.m.
| Updated October 12, 2017 at 6:00 p.m.
by
Associated Press
FILE - In this Oct. 4, 2017 file photo, a little-known device called a "bump stock" is attached to a semi-automatic rifle at the Gun Vault store and shooting range in South Jordan, Utah. New federal rules would be the "the smartest, quickest" way to regulate the device the gunman in the Las Vegas massacre used to heighten his firepower, House Speaker Paul Ryan said Wednesday, Oct. 11 in remarks that suggested Congress was unlikely to act first. It remains unclear, however, what if any action the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives will take on so-called bump stocks. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
BOSTON (AP) - Massachusetts is on its way to becoming the first state since the Las Vegas shooting massacre to outlaw devices that allow semi-automatic weapons to mimic fully automatic guns.
The Massachusetts Senate voted 33-0 on Thursday to ban the sale of bump stocks and trigger cranks, attachments that increase the firing rate of a weapon. A day earlier the state House voted 151-3 in favor of a bump stock ban.
The two versions must be reconciled before a final bill is sent to Republican Gov. Charlie Baker, who has said he would sign a ban if it reaches his desk.
A bump stock fits over the stock and grip of a semi-automatic rifle and allows the weapon to fire continuously. The Las Vegas shooter had 12 weapons fitted with such devices.
