Dianne Feinstein leads Senate bill to ban ‘bump stock’ ownership, Claire McCaskill says they aren’t needed to hunt deer
California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a longtime advocate of gun control measures, introduced a bill Wednesday that would ban the sale and possession of bump-stock equipment and other devices that essentially turn a semiautomatic weapon into an automatic one.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) told reporters Tuesday that multiple bump stocks were found in the hotel room used by Stephen Paddock, the shooter, who opened fire during the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival on Sunday, killing 58 people and injuring over 500 others.
According to a copy of the bill text provided to ABC, it would go into effect 180 days after its passage.
Democrats seized on the issue and hoped it might break the partisan divide over guns.
Feinstein called the sale of bump fire stocks a “loophole” that should be closed.
“This replacement shoulder stock turns a semi-automatic rifle into a weapon that can fire at a rate of 400 to 800 rounds per minute,” she said.
Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., who is facing a tough re-election in a red state next year, called on the NRA to do some “soul searching.”
“I don’t know anybody who goes deer hunting that needs to retrofit a gun to fire hundreds of rounds per minute,” she said. “It’s to slaughter people.”
“It shall be unlawful for any person to import, sell, manufacture, transfer or possess, in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce, a trigger crank, a bump-fire device or any part, combination of parts, component, device, attachment or accessory that is designed or functions to accelerate the rate of fire of a semiautomatic rifle but not convert the semiautomatic rifle into a machine gun,” the bill states.
The ban would not apply to sales or possession of the devices by U.S. agencies or departments.
Feinstein, who in 2013 authored an assault weapons ban bill, which failed 40-60 in the Senate, currently has 24 co-sponsors of the bill, all Democrats.
“I think it’d be a good time to have a hearing,” Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C, told NBC News. “Just find out, ‘How does the technology work?’ and is there a legislative solution.”
Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., said he wanted to talk to gun makers about finding ways to prevent modifications to weapons.
“One of the concerns that I have is the ability to manipulate a semi-automatic rifle and turn it into a fully automatic rifle,” Heller said. “There has to be a way to be able to stop this.”
Paddock had 23 guns in his hotel room and officials have stated that he had two bump stocks, which were used to modify the weapons used in the massacre.
Paddock killed 59 people and wounded hundreds, killing himself moments before SWAT arrived.
Claire McCaskill
