‘Bump stock’ ban proposed in Florida

Author: The News Service of Florida
Published:
Shooting instructor Frankie McRae illustrates the grip on an AR-15 rifle fitted with a “bump stock” at his 37 PSR Gun Club in Bunnlevel, N.C., on Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2017. The stock uses the recoil of the semiautomatic rifle to let the finger “bump” the trigger, making it different from a fully automatic machine gun, which are illegal for most civilians to own. (AP Photo/Allen G. Breed)

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (The News-Service of Florida) Little more than a week after the massacre in Las Vegas, a Florida state senator Monday proposed banning devices — known as “bump stocks” — that can be used to increase the rate of firing bullets from semi-automatic weapons.

Sen. Linda Stewart, D-Orlando, filed the bill (SB 456) for consideration during the 2018 legislative session, which starts in January.

MORE: LCSO issues new gun storage policy following burglary to patrol car

Bump stocks have drawn widespread attention since Stephen Paddock fired guns Oct. 1 from a window at the Mandalay Bay resort in Las Vegas, killing 58 people and injuring hundreds of others who had gathered for a country-music concert.

Paddock, who also killed himself, had modified weapons to make them fire more rapidly. Stewart’s bill would ban the possession and sale of bump stocks in Florida.

MORE: Jason Aldean returns to Las Vegas a week after shooting

Copyright ©2024 Fort Myers Broadcasting. All rights reserved.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without prior written consent.