Everytown, Moms Demand Action Responds to Announcement That the Justice Department Will Take Regulatory Step to Prohibit Bump Stocks

NEW YORK – Everytown for Gun Safety and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, a part of Everytown, released the following statement today after the U.S. Justice Department (DOJ) submitted a proposed regulation to the Office of Management and Budget that would prohibit bump stocks, firearm “conversion devices” that effectively allow semi-automatic firearms to mimic firing speeds of machine guns – and similar rapid-fire devices.

Machine guns have been tightly regulated under federal law since the 1930s, but bump stocks and other conversion devices are designed to skirt the law and mimic automatic gunfire and can increase the lethality of shootings. Guns equipped with bump stocks were used in the largest and deadliest mass shooting in modern American history last year in Las Vegas, where 58 people were shot and killed and hundreds more wounded.

In response to a December 2017 advance notice of proposed rulemaking, Everytown filed a formal comment urging DOJ to clarify that existing law does indeed prohibit bump stocks and many other conversion devices. Everytown also explained that some devices are not included under the current statute, and urges Congress to finish the work of prohibiting all of these dangerous items. Everytown looks forward to reviewing the new proposed DOJ regulation when it is published.

STATEMENT FROM JOHN FEINBLATT, PRESIDENT OF EVERYTOWN FOR GUN SAFETY:

“We applaud the Department of Justice for taking this important step, and we hope a bump stocks rule gets approved quickly. However, this action alone is not enough to meet the moment. Across the country, Americans are demanding action on gun safety, states are delivering, and it’s time for Congress to follow suit.”