Five Key Facts About Bump-Stock Devices

With Democrat office holders and gun control proponents calling for a ban on bump-stock devices, Breitbart News thought it wise to describe exactly what they are, as well as what they do (and do not do).

Numerous reports—including one from the AP–confirm the presence of bump-stock devices in the Las Vegas attacker’s hotel room. These are legal devices that can be attached to a semiautomatic rifle to enable the person shooting the firearm to mimic automatic fire.

According to The Guardian, Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) is now pushing a ban on the devices. And she is not alone. But do those calling for a ban really know what these devices do?

Here are five key facts about bump-stock devices:

1. ATF approved–Bump-stock devices do not change the action of the gun; they do not make the gun an automatic weapon. Rather, they allow the gun owner to mimic automatic fire in short bursts with variable consistency. This means the devices are categorized as an accessory rather than a conversion. Because of this, USA Today reports that they are ATF approved.
2. Other accessories will do the same thing–There are numerous ways a gun owner can make a semiautomatic rifle mimic automatic fire. There are special triggers, cranking devices, and other options, all of which are accessories rather than conversions.
3. “Bump-Stock” devices are for novelty, not accuracy–Bump-stock devices are not made for accuracy, but for the fun of mimicking automatic fire. Such devices tend to have a universal fit, which means an AR-15’s buffer tube can bobble back and fourth inside the bump-stock while the firearm is being shot. These are not made to be precision instruments but novelties that gun owners can enjoy while out shooting at the range.
4. Machine guns are legal–Contrary to much of the reporting issued after the Las Vegas attack, actual machine guns are legal in the U.S.  Such firearms are extremely expensive–this is because legal machine guns are limited to those made before 1986–but they can certainly be purchased for legal use under federal law. It seems contrary to reality to ban devices that only mimic auto fire in a country where there are hundreds of thousands of privately-owned guns that really are automatic.
5. Typical leftist war on the poor–A ban on bump-stock devices takes away the $200 device poorer citizens can buy to at least pretend to be shooting the real machines they will never be able to afford.

AWR Hawkins is the Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and host of Bullets with AWR Hawkins, a Breitbart News podcast. He is also the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com