Based on reports from Las Vegas police, they recovered two bump-stocks in the hotel room of the gunman who carried out the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history. It’s important to understand what these devices are so that we can make informed choices about future legislation.
So what exactly is a Bump Stock? Well, what it doesn’t do is convert a semiautomatic rifle into a fully automatic weapon. Meaning the trigger still, needs to be depressed for each bullet fired. What it does do is allow you to engage the trigger at a high rate of speed.
The difference is important because the Federal government outlawed the production of automatic weapons in 1986. Bump stocks have been on the market since 2012 and are approved by ATF.
So how does a Bump Stock work? The instructions below are based on the Slide Fire website:
- Grip the pistol grip as normal and pull the stock into your shoulder.
- Unlock the stock in order to enable rapid fire.
- Position your trigger finger across the trigger, and seat the tip on the rest.
- Apply forward pressure on the rifle. Making sure to keep that pressure light and consistent. This will move the trigger into your finger and cause a round to be fired.
- The recoil will force the firearm back into the rear position while your forward pressure almost instantaneously forces the trigger back into your finger causing a round to fire.
- There have been numerous attempts by legislators to crack down on firing rates for semiautomatic weapons, but few ever reach the point of a vote.
