PA Bill Number: HB829
Title: In preliminary provisions, further providing for definitions;
Description: An Act amending the act of April 12, 1951 (P.L.90, No.21), known as the Liquor Code, in preliminary provisions, further providing for definitions;
Last Action: Signed in House
Last Action Date: Jul 3, 2024
Gun shop owner worried bump stock ban could lead to additional infringements :: 03/27/2019
As of March 26, it is illegal to own, buy or sell bump stocks in the United States. (MGN Online)
CALLAWAY COUNTY — Ammo Alley Owner Doug Alley said Tuesday he does not like to see any regulations from the government that aim to restrict Second Amendment rights.
His shop in Callaway County has never sold bump stocks, but he said within the firearms industry, they are known as a novelty item.
"It's an attachment that you can put on a AR-15-style rifle to simulate full auto fire," he said.
Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker signed the regulation in December. It essentially clarifies the devices are banned under a federal law that prohibits machine guns. Advocates for gun control praised the move stating the devices should have never been so easily accessible.
As of March 26, it is illegal to own, buy or sell the devices in the United States. According to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, regardless of state laws regarding bump stocks, the national ban applies.
Doug Alley sits behind the counter at his gun shop in Callaway County. He said he worries if the government was able to bring restrictions against bump stocks, it will gain additional traction to be able to restrict more areas. (Megan Sanchez/KRCG 13)
Bump stock owners were given 90 days to rid of their devices. The ATF recommended destroying them by melting, shredding, or crushing the device. Owners can also turn the devices in to their nearest ATF office - there is a field office located in Jefferson City at 305 E. McCarty Street Suite 101.
A bump stock or bump-stock type device allows semi-automatic weapons to fire rapidly like automatic firearms. Alley said he worries if the government was able to bring restrictions against bump stocks, it will gain additional traction to be able to restrict more areas.
"The Second Amendment is there to help protect our God-given rights," he said. "Without one, you lose a lot of the others, and that would be extremely unfortunate."
Bump stocks began to be part of the national gun debate after they were used in October 2017 when a man opened fired from his Las Vegas hotel suite into a crowd at a country music concert below, killing 58 people and injuring hundreds more in the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history.
Alley said whether the device the Vegas shooter used was actually a bump stock is still being debated.
Gun rights advocates attempted to get the court to stop the ban from being enforced, but their efforts were unsuccessful.
Gun shop owner worried bump stock ban could lead to additional infringements
KRCG 13's Megan Sanchez answers some commonly asked questions about the new ban.{ }{p}{/p}
