House Passes
Legislation Banning Bump Stocks
Strengthens
Massachusetts’ Nationally-Recognized Gun Safety Laws
BOSTON- The Massachusetts House of
Representatives today passed an amendment sponsored by Representative David Linsky to the 2017 Supplemental Budget banning
the sale, purchase, or ownership of a “bump stock” device.
The
Amendment adopted by the House bans the possession, ownership, or sale of any
device that attaches to a rifle, shotgun, or firearm, other than a magazine,
which is designed to increase the rate of fire of said weapon. The legislation
carries a punishment of imprisonment in the state prison by not less than three
years nor more than twenty years, and goes into effect six months from the
passage of the bill.
“This
legislation will ensure that no one in Massachusetts can legally possess a
‘bump stock,’ a device designed to increase the deadliness of these already
deadly weapons,” said Representative
Linsky (D-Natick). “These devices were created by gun manufacturers as a
work-around of the federal law banning the sale and possession of automatic
weapons, and there is absolutely no place for them in a civilized society.”
“I am proud and encouraged that the House’s
2014 gun law has resulted in Massachusetts having the lowest rate of gun deaths
per capita,” said House Speaker Robert
A. DeLeo. “There’s no doubt about it: The stronger the gun laws, the safer
the state. Today’s vote to ban bump stocks is a responsible, commonsense action
to protect our citizens and make our laws even stronger. I thank Chairman
Linsky for his initiative and I urge other states and Congress to take action
on gun safety.”
“What we saw last week
in Las Vegas was horrific,” said Representative Jeffrey
Sánchez, House Chair of the Joint Committee on Ways & Means (D-Boston). “While we cannot bring those precious lives
back, today’s bump stock ban prevents another tragedy from taking place in
Massachusetts, and builds on our progress promoting sensible gun safety in the
Commonwealth.”
A “bump
stock” is a device that uses the recoil of a semiautomatic firearm to file
several shots in succession, mimicking automatic gun fire. While the weapon
still fires one bullet for every pull of the trigger, the “bump stock”
automates the trigger-pull process, allowing shooters to fire at a rate of 400
to 800 rounds a minute. Twelve of the rifles the gunman in the Las Vegas mass
shooting were modified with a “bump stock,” allowing him to increase the fire
rate of his weapon.
“Congress
has continued its failure to act in the wake of yet another gun violence
tragedy, but I applaud Speaker DeLeo and the rest of my colleagues in the
Massachusetts House for their willingness to take a stand on this issue of
public safety,” said Representative
Linsky. “We must continue to take the initiative at the state level to
improve our state’s gun laws, and ultimately save lives.”
The
Amendment, which passed 151-3, now goes to the Massachusetts Senate for debate.
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