Is Trump Right to Ban Bump Stocks?

By Ready to Fire News On Mar 9, 2018

In the aftermath of the school shooting in Florida, President Donald Trump has had strong words for the media and people who would do harm to our nation’s youth through gun violence.

President Trump promises not to be another president who promises action and takes none. In fact, he’s already moving forward with efforts in place to ban bump stocks and other weapons modifications.

Bump stocks are weapon modifications that allow legal semi-automatic guns to function like fully automatic weapons with the capability of firing multiple rounds in rapid succession. In other words, it allows gun users to circumvent the laws concerning fully automatic weapons that are currently in place.

What does the ban mean for second amendment advocates?

The NRA has voiced support for additional regulations related to bump stocks, but Gun Owners of America has voiced skepticism about such regulations after the Las Vegas shooting stating “No law – including a “bump stock” ban – would’ve stopped the Las Vegas shooting.”

The slippery slope argument is alive and well – and it should be.

The problem with giving government authority over even this is that all governments have voracious appetites for power and rarely, if ever, relinquish power once given.

In fact, this will set a precedence for even more regulations over gun ownership and modifications that owners can make to their guns.

We could ultimately see law-abiding gun owners jailed for modifying trigger guards or safety locks on their guns. That’s something no one wants. And it might not even be intentional by the government. It could be a side effect of the intent of the law when compared to the letter of the law.

This is one reason it is supposed to be so difficult to pass new laws – to avoid unexpected or unintended consequences when laws are passed.

The fact is that we have plenty of gun laws in place that are far less often enforced for criminal gun owners than for gun owners who have followed the law and gone through the registration processes in their states.

Because illegal guns and illegal gun ownership is such a rampant problem, there is no reason to expect that passing new laws would, in any manner, prevent another tragedy like the one that happened in Florida.

The fact remains that school shootings have been taking place in America since the 1800s. The 24-hour news cycle has made them more compelling in recent years, but the fact is that the 1990s represented a turning point for school gun violence — and while any incident of gun violence in schools today is one too many, the fact is that these incidents have decreased in recent years – NOT increased as the news media would have you believe.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) may have a huge problem enforcing any laws drawn up related to banning bump stocks because they do not have the authority to regulate firearm parts and accessories, thanks to the Gun Control Act of 1968.

This may mean the President has to go back to the drawing board for reducing, and perhaps even ending, gun violence. However, it is good to see that he is considering a variety of possible solutions and not merely engaging in rhetoric.

~ Ready to Fire News