WASHINGTON — Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard on Tuesday supported bipartisan legislation as an original cosponsor to ban the manufacture, sale, and use of “bump stocks” and similar devices. The legislation would also make violation of the law a felony and allow
WASHINGTON — Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard on Tuesday supported bipartisan legislation as an original cosponsor to ban the manufacture, sale, and use of “bump stocks” and similar devices.
The legislation would also make violation of the law a felony and allow for increased penalties for offenders through a review of federal sentencing guidelines.
“In the aftermath of the Las Vegas tragedy, this bill is an important bipartisan measure that will ban devices that exploit loopholes in existing laws prohibiting automatic weapons,” she said. “I urge my colleagues to take action and support this bipartisan, commonsense legislation.”
She said there is more that Congress can and should do, like passing legislation that will require background checks to those seeking to purchase a gun, “which the majority of Americans support.”
“Bills like the one we are introducing today are an important first step to bringing people together around issues that best serve the safety and well-being of the American people,” Gabbard said.
“Bump stocks” are devices that use a semi-automatic weapon’s recoil to allow rapid fire at a rate mirroring that of a fully automatic weapon — 400 to 800 rounds a minute. These devices are legal, unregulated, widely available, and can be purchased online for as little as $100. Their sole purpose is to exacerbate the rate of fire.
