Massachusetts Bans Bump Stocks, Becomes First State To Do So

By Tom Knighton

Anti-gun states seemed to be in a race. They wanted to see who could ban the notorious bump stock first. California, Illinois, and others all had their bills ready, but none could get it done quite fast enough. That left it to Massachusetts to take the crown as the state most likely to ban a piece of plastic in a knee-jerk reaction.

The Route 91 Harvest Festival shooting in Las Vegas transformed the “bump stock” from a redneck party trick into Public Enemy Number One.

This week Massachusetts Republican Gov. Charlie Baker took the first shot at the unusual accessory by signing a bill that bans both bump stocks and trigger cranks.

Anyone found selling or possessing either device could face between 18 months and life in prison, and the bill does not include grandfather provisions—there is no legal path to ownership for those devices already in circulation.

“These devices have one purpose, and one purpose only – to kill and to wound as many people as possible in a short period of time,” said Democratic Representative David Linsky in a statement.

Uh, actually, no. That’s not their purpose. It’s a hell of a way to waste ammo and have some …Read the Rest

Source:: Bearing Arms