Bump stocks are now banned in Massachusetts. Offenders could even receive life in prison.
The Route 91 Harvest Festival shooting in Las Vegas transformed the “bump stock” from a redneck party trick into Public Enemy Number One.
This week Massachusetts Republican Gov. Charlie Baker took the first shot at the unusual accessory by signing a bill that bans both bump stocks and trigger cranks.
Anyone found selling or possessing either device could face between 18 months and life in prison, and the bill does not include grandfather provisions—there is no legal path to ownership for those devices already in circulation.
“These devices have one purpose, and one purpose only – to kill and to wound as many people as possible in a short period of time,” said Democratic Representative David Linsky in a statement.
“They have no place in civilized society, and today in the Massachusetts House, we took an important step towards strengthening our state’s gun laws and maintaining the safety of our Commonwealth,” he continued.
The National Rifle Association urged its supporters to oppose the bill. They note that the punishment for possessing these devices is “excessive.” Further advising that the Massachusetts legislature should wait until the ATF makes a decision.
“Currently, at the urging of Congress, ATF is reviewing whether its prior determinations regarding bump-fire stocks are correct,” the NRA-ILA said on their website. “Any legislation in this area should wait for this review to be complete so an accurate assessment of the applicable federal law is available.”
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Though a bump stock ban isn’t what pro-gun advocates were hoping for, the outcome could have been much worse. The Massachusetts House passed a bill several weeks ago that would have banned any device that “increases the rate of fire” on any rifle, shotgun, or firearm.
As the NRA-ILA pointed out, such language could easily ensnare thousands of unsuspecting gun owners for possessing devices that aren’t primarily designed to increase the rate of fire.
“This broad language could be easily interpreted to ban match grade triggers, ergonomic enhancements, recoil reducing weights, muzzle brakes, and other modifications that countless law-abiding gun owners utilize in order to make their firearms more user-friendly and suitable for self-defense, competition, hunting, and even adapting to physical disability,” they said.
“Many of these modifications simply make it easier to deliver accurate and controlled shots with less physical discomfort for the shooter without fundamentally changing the mechanics of how a firearm operates,” they added.
For now, Massachusetts residents are safe from this kind of government overreach. But at least one bill has been introduced in the U.S. Congress that bans all devices which “increase the rate of fire.” While this and similar bills are unlikely to pass with Republicans controlling both houses of Congress, the 2018 elections could change that paradigm.
Have the Mass DEM filed a bill to ban rental trucks like they did with bump stocks? Or a speed limit on trucks? I bet they don’t ? They only go after our 2nd Amendment Rights.
Also all these Hollywood idiots want to push for more gun control days after a shooting happens. But years there has sexual assault and rape going on . And nobody said anything for years.
Do you think that assault rifles are necessary in this country ?? Really my first question is what the hell are you trying to take down ?? Surely not a Deer I use my 1100 Remington and we don’t hunt elephants here so tell me again what are you taking down ??
Ex Post Facto laws are those that retroactively make a crime out of something or some action that was previously legal. Ex post facto laws are expressly forbidden by the United States Constitution in Article 1, Section 9, Clause 3 (with respect to federal laws) and Article 1, Section 10 (with respect to state laws). Further, the government is not allowed to seize your property without compensation. These kinds of laws have been tried before and in most cases overturned in court. I doubt that this one is going to stand very long.
We need support here to stop the insanity in it’s tracks. Ma. is governed by a bunch of liberal gun grabbers. Don’t think they’ll stop here. The 10 round limit needs to be repealed for starters. No ammo through the mail is another ridiculous Massachusetts law that only hampers the law abiding. A short drive to RI or New Hampshire gets a criminal all the ammo he needs anyway. So what was the point of it anyway?
Massachusetts… hmmm.
Isn’t that the state that had a Senator who drove under the influence, killed a young woman? But his state kept right on the-electing him, over and over?
Mass, you’ve already proved you’re idiots. No need to keep trying so hard.
The bible says about the God hating leftards “you pervert Justice” oh boy this a prime example.
everything is banned mass except for the crocked pols.
Yes, Good old massichewshitz..Kind of surprised that they haven’t banned them before now..along with everything else..if they could..
(Dear GunsAmerica. If you DON’T print this and fail to allow people to know or learn the truth, then you’re helping ‘them’ take away our RIGHT.)
So yet another False Flag/fraud/staged shooting has served it’s purpose. 22 minutes to learn the TRUTH: How Billions were FOOLED by the Vegas shooting (redo)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cndOsUE8yi4&t=77s
By the way? I was one of the very first who’d heard and called out ‘7.62 belt-fed weapon’. Not ANY KIND of 5.56.
But hey? What does the truth matter in an agenda?
And by the way? If you actually (AGAIN!) believe that retarded nonsense of an ‘Official Story’ – like all these other frauds that are used to try and take away your 2nd Amendment Rights, then you get what you deserve for not seeking the truth and speaking out, because ‘if you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem’.
Good for them. Adults who know that the right decision is not always the easy one.
Had idiots like Leftard Linsky been around during the drafting of our founding documents, our Founding Fathers would have no doubt reworded Linsky’s moronic comment to read, “These devices have one purpose, and one purpose only – to kill and to wound as many corrupt parasitic swamp-dwelling politicians as possible in a short period of time.”
Everything is illegal in Massachusetts.
Guns don’t kill people, people do. A gun is a tool. Yes, it has a longer range than some other choices (you could use a cell phone to explode a bomb further away than the range of a gun), but the vast majority of these scenarios are up close and personal (for a reason – the folks are nuts). You could make the argument that video games are more of a cause than the gun used, but that would involve looking at the real problem rather than twisting to an agenda. Someone who wants to kill will find a way (nobody ever talks about the guys who killed all the school children with swords in Japan about the same time as one of the school shootings – that school wasn’t any better prepared to protect the children than ours are in the USA). The guy in Texas could have just thrown a container of home made napalm… Not as personal for the nut job, but…. I would rather be shot…
All this being said, some things we gun owners do are just plain stupid when it comes to maintaining our rights and educating the ignorant. You had to know that it was just a matter of time until someone put a bump fire stock on an AR and all of this crap from idiots with no common sense would come crashing down. Do we really need something that turns a perfectly acceptable firearm (regardless of what the ignorant say) in to an automatic weapon (I’m not going to argue about definitions, so just save it!)? If you really want to own an automatic weapon (and use for the “right” reason in the “right” environment) , there is a process to legally do so (we can debate the process and the necessity another time). The process for owning automatic firearms probably should be fairly robust. If you can’t get one legally, you definitely shouldn’t have it or be trying to skirt the law (even if the loop hole that allows it hasn’t been closed yet).
Unfortunately in our society survival of the fittest has been mostly eliminated (we won’t even let folks drive cars without seat belts or motorcycles without helmets in most places). The ignorant (of all persuasions) don’t die off and silent majority have to suffer the consequences. We’ll even let them run for political office…
Oh Really I’ve been driving with out wearing a seat belt for the last three years now and Minnesota has seat belt laws. So a passing stupid intrusive law does exactly what?
Sure, sounds good, next will be all guns must be bolt action only because who needs a gun that can shoot as fast as you can pull the trigger. More rules and laws, sounds good cant wait for you and the government to make more “common sense” laws. I think we should just make this law for those who agree with it, you can even make it illegal for you to own a gun if you want.
it is no surprise that the Mass. (liberal,socialist, communist, democrat) dip wads want to stop the sale of bump stocks . you know all of the other ultra liberal dip wads will jump on that band wagon also. i would not have any use for a weapon that might shoot once on target but with the full auto feature that that stock replicates will not allow the follow up shots to go where they are intended. these things are not a threat to the freedom of our country it is the libtards that are a threat to our country and our freedoms.
So what are they going to do about the folks who can do the same thing without having a bumpfire stock. I have seen one bumpfire stock demonstrated but I have seen several guys that could bumpfire without any modifications to their weapons. Yes not nearly as controllable as the bumpfire stock setup but still the same effect.
This is exactly why states have no business in the gun control business.
Does this mean the atfe needs to chop off Jerry Muchlek’s trigger finger.
I hope they get a lot of votes for this in the next election, that’s all the politicians are after. They could give two hoots about public safety, otherwise they would do a little research about what they are passing a law for.
Finally all the states problems are solved! We can all rest easy now.