Bump Stock Should Be Banned
Nathan Clodfelter
Mrs. Gallos
English 3 Honors
29 March 2018
Should Bump Stocks be Banned? A bump stock is a device that is attached to a semi-automatic weapon and enables this weapon to mimic the fire of a machine gun. It does this by allowing the shooter to hold the butt of the gun in their shoulder and push the gun towards them, this makes the gun fire and the recoil “bumps” the gun back into a firing position.(New York Times) The use of bump stocks allows many school shooters and mass shooters to fire at a rapid rate which in turn creates more casualties, or do they take away from the shooter? So, do people support the purchase, manufacture, and ownership of these devices? Are they allowed by law and do they make semi-automatic weapons fully automatic? Do gun owners and supporters think bump stocks should be banned? The big issue that many Americans have with the bump stock is that it enables a semi-automatic weapon to mimic the fire of a machine gun or fully automatic weapon. Machine guns are outlawed in the US for civilian purchase and use of any machine gun made after 1986. To be able to obtain a machine gun made before 1986 you must pass a criminal background test and also pay lots of taxes just to even obtain this permit, but you can order a …show more content…
bump stock from companies such as Slide Fire Solutions without going through such a rigorous process. Many americans want a change and they want it fast. “The only fix I think that would be quick would be for legislators to pass a new law."(David Chipman, former ATF agent, on NPR) Many elected officials and former law enforcement agents think that a nationwide ban through new legislature is the only solution. Paul Ryan said, “We think the regulatory fix is the smartest, quickest fix”. (NPR) Is new legislature really the simplest way to ban bump stocks. Another big reason that many people are opposed to bump stocks is because they allow school or mass shooters to ensure a large amount of casualties. Many of the recent horrific deadly events have caught the attention of the American public and churned up feelings inside of our fellow Americans to push for change. “The states are actually really leading the way, and they are the true leaders on this issue while Congress continues to not act to ban these devices,” said Robin Lloyd, government affairs director for Giffords, the gun-control group.(Washington Post) The people are pushing for change and so are state governments but congress can not come to an agreement. A majority of the population believes that bump stocks are allowing many people to essentially possess a fully automatic weapon(even though they are different many citizens do not understand this fact) and that is illegal so they believe that bump stocks should be banned. Another argument is that only people opposed to guns want to ban bump stocks, this is simply untrue. Following the Las Vegas shooting and the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland Florida, groups in congress and even the NRA and ATF have stated that bump stocks should be restricted or banned to prevent people from sensely killing Americans.(The Guardian) Richard Marianos, an ATF agent for 27 years, said this 3 months after the Las Vegas shooting, “I made a mistake in signing this document, anything that fires two or more rounds at the pull of a trigger is a machine gun, and should be regulated as such.”(Connecticut Post) After these comments many people began to debate whether a bump stock makes a semi-automatic weapon a machine gun. There still has been no resolution or definite answer given by sides for or against the bump stock. On the other side of the argument, supporters of the bump stock argue that it is not the attachment that is the problem it is the people who own the weapons. “Let’s say I get drunk and I run over 30 people out in the middle of the road. It’s the person behind the wheel. The same thing with a gun, it’s the person behind that gun that’s at fault.”-Don Boyett (The Guardian) Pro-gun supporters believe that guns or gun attachments should not be regulated because of insane or senseless people. They also feel that a restriction on bump stocks or guns would be taken away their rights. They do not agree that a nationwide ‘punishment’ for gun owners should be put in place because a very small number of people choose to use them in a negative manner. They also argue that many people had no idea what a bump stock was until they saw that they could possibly be banned. “These people never even knew what a bump-fire stock was until they saw it on the news, now people are saying, ‘I got to get one of these before they’re not available anymore.’ ”(Andrew Wickerman-The Christian Science Monitor) People who support the right to own guns and even some of those who do not, agree that a ban on bump stocks would not be beneficial. They think that it would cause more harm than good and lead to even bigger problems. Many gun supporters and bump stock supporters do not understand the push for a ban against bump stocks, “But I’ve always thought these bump stocks were just a novelty,”.(LA Times) Another reason that they believe bump stocks should remain unrestricted and want to prevent a ban, is because they believe that the use of a bump stock provides no advantage to a person that is using one. Andrew Wickerman states that bumps are, “They’re not that good, and they’re hard as hell to control.”.(The Christian Science Monitor) The inaccuracy that a bump stock adds to a gun is reason enough for most gun enthusiast to fight and protest for them to remain available to the public. They often argue that using a bump stock would hinder the shooter and make it more difficult for him/her to hit their target than if they fired a gun without it. Paul Valone, President of Grassroots North Carolina states that, “[Bump stocks]are an amusement, because they don’t under normal circumstances turn an AR-15 into a killing machine, because you can’t hit anything with it.”(The Christian Science Monitor) He then goes on to describe how a weapon equipped with a bump stock can cause mass casualties, “Only when you are presented 400 yards away with a field of uninterrupted humanity would something like that even be effective.”(The Christian Science Monitor) He believes that bump stocks possess no advantage to the shooter and are essentially useless. Bump stocks are huge money makers, however, between gun hobbyist and competitive shooters bump stocks bring in a lot of revenue. The founder of Slide Fire, Jeremiah Cottle, was able to sell over $10 million worth of equipment in his first year of business alone.(The Guardian) With his base bump stocks starting at around $100 and a good product that many gun owners know has enabled him to dominate the bump stock industry. The Slide Fire website crashed from heavy traffic due to an want to buy a bump stock before they are banned. Should bump stocks be banned?
There are both positive and negative aspects to bump stops. For many of the negatives a positive counteracts it. How you feel about bump stocks can and may be affected by how you were raised and what you were exposed to but it can also be based on what you have seen in the news lately. The constant tragedy and repeated taking of innocent lives probably affects you in ways you can not express. You want the chaos and killings to stop but you do not know how or when they will come. How far must this go before a real change is made? Is it the people that are doing the killing? Are these attachments really giving shooters an advantage? Is there a sensible way to please both
sides? The most fascinating piece of information that i have learned from this paper is not only the the ATF has signed off on the sell, manufacture, and possession of bump stocks but that some of their own agents realized they have made a huge mistake. They understand that the use of a bump stock enables a semi-automatic weapon to mimic or simulate the fire of a machine gun and now after reviewing that have deemed that they should be illegal. However, they may not be able to reverse their decision. Many states have implemented laws that prevent the Federal government from restricting, regulating, and banning guns and gun accessories such as the bump stock. The ATF is stuck in a tight spot and can not come to a solution fast enough before another mass shooting occurs. Congress is in the same situation as the ATF and can not agree on what action should be taken. While many argue for the ban of bump stocks, others argue that people will do whatever it takes to get their hands on one and if they already own one then the government cannot confiscate their property without a warrant or proper cause. If we continue to allow them to be legal however school shootings and mass shootings will become something we begin to expect to happen and except it as everyday life. I am a supporter of the second amendment and have no problem with people owning multiple guns and multiple kinds of guns. On the other hand, I do not support the use of bump stocks to senseless murder innocent people. It is a disgusting and twisted crime that I will always have a hatred for. I also do not understand why a civilian would need a bump stock, and I am a strong believer that bump stocks do provide shooters with an advantage and a way to ensure that they are able to hurt a many people as possible. Bump stocks have no place in everyday civilian lifestyles. They should, in my opinion, be used in war and only war but I do not support or condone war. Bump stocks should be outlawed and not permitted to sell, manufacture, or possess in the United States. I believe that this will help cut back on gun violence and will also keep kids, schools, workplaces, and public areas much safer.
Works Cited
"Ban Bump Stocks: Justice Department Moves To Make Them Illegal To Own Or Sell." USA TODAY. N. p., 2018. Web. 19 Mar. 2018.
Bruinius, Harry, and Patrik Jonsson. "Why Gun Experts Don’T Support Banning – Or Buying – ‘Bump Stocks’." The Christian Science Monitor. N. p., 2017. Web. 19 Mar. 2018.
Buchanan, Larry et al. "What Is A Bump Stock And How Does It Work?." Nytimes.com. N. p., 2018. Web. 19 Mar. 2018.
"Bump-Stocks: How They Make Guns Fire Full-Auto, And Why They’Re Legal." The Trace. N. p., 2018. Web. 19 Mar. 2018.
Dart, Tom. "America's Bump Stock Capital: Can This Tiny Texas Town Survive Trump's Ban?." the Guardian. N. p., 2018. Web. 19 Mar. 2018.
"Ex-ATF Officials Says Bump-Stock OK Was Mistake." Connecticut Post. N. p., 2018. Web. 25 Mar. 2018.
"Lawmakers Say The ATF Should Regulate Bump Stocks. It's Not That Simple ." NPR.org. N. p., 2017. Web. 19 Mar. 2018.
"LIST: Guns And Evidence From Las Vegas Shooter Stephen Paddock." KTNV. N. p., 2018. Web. 19 Mar. 2018.
"NH State Rep Proposes Bump Stock Ban | New Hampshire ." UnionLeader.com. N. p., 2018. Web. 25 Mar. 2018.
"Should Bump Stocks Be Banned?." Laissez Faire. N. p., 2017. Web. 19 Mar. 2018.
"Texas Cities Can't Ban Rapid-Fire Bump Stocks Used In Vegas Mass Shooting | Politics | Dallas News." Dallasnews.com. N. p., 2018. Web. 19 Mar. 2018.
Why It's Called a "Bump Stock". 7 Oct. 2017, www.usnews.com/opinion/news/cartoons/cartoons/2017-10-07/daily-cartoons.
Zezima, Katie. "Facing Congressional Inaction, States Move To Ban Bump Stocks." Washington Post. N. p., 2018. Web. 19 Mar. 2018.
Mrs. Gallos
English 3 Honors
29 March 2018
Should Bump Stocks be Banned? A bump stock is a device that is attached to a semi-automatic weapon and enables this weapon to mimic the fire of a machine gun. It does this by allowing the shooter to hold the butt of the gun in their shoulder and push the gun towards them, this makes the gun fire and the recoil “bumps” the gun back into a firing position.(New York Times) The use of bump stocks allows many school shooters and mass shooters to fire at a rapid rate which in turn creates more casualties, or do they take away from the shooter? So, do people support the purchase, manufacture, and ownership of these devices? Are they allowed by law and do they make semi-automatic weapons fully automatic? Do gun owners and supporters think bump stocks should be banned? The big issue that many Americans have with the bump stock is that it enables a semi-automatic weapon to mimic the fire of a machine gun or fully automatic weapon. Machine guns are outlawed in the US for civilian purchase and use of any machine gun made after 1986. To be able to obtain a machine gun made before 1986 you must pass a criminal background test and also pay lots of taxes just to even obtain this permit, but you can order a …show more content…
bump stock from companies such as Slide Fire Solutions without going through such a rigorous process. Many americans want a change and they want it fast. “The only fix I think that would be quick would be for legislators to pass a new law."(David Chipman, former ATF agent, on NPR) Many elected officials and former law enforcement agents think that a nationwide ban through new legislature is the only solution. Paul Ryan said, “We think the regulatory fix is the smartest, quickest fix”. (NPR) Is new legislature really the simplest way to ban bump stocks. Another big reason that many people are opposed to bump stocks is because they allow school or mass shooters to ensure a large amount of casualties. Many of the recent horrific deadly events have caught the attention of the American public and churned up feelings inside of our fellow Americans to push for change. “The states are actually really leading the way, and they are the true leaders on this issue while Congress continues to not act to ban these devices,” said Robin Lloyd, government affairs director for Giffords, the gun-control group.(Washington Post) The people are pushing for change and so are state governments but congress can not come to an agreement. A majority of the population believes that bump stocks are allowing many people to essentially possess a fully automatic weapon(even though they are different many citizens do not understand this fact) and that is illegal so they believe that bump stocks should be banned. Another argument is that only people opposed to guns want to ban bump stocks, this is simply untrue. Following the Las Vegas shooting and the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland Florida, groups in congress and even the NRA and ATF have stated that bump stocks should be restricted or banned to prevent people from sensely killing Americans.(The Guardian) Richard Marianos, an ATF agent for 27 years, said this 3 months after the Las Vegas shooting, “I made a mistake in signing this document, anything that fires two or more rounds at the pull of a trigger is a machine gun, and should be regulated as such.”(Connecticut Post) After these comments many people began to debate whether a bump stock makes a semi-automatic weapon a machine gun. There still has been no resolution or definite answer given by sides for or against the bump stock. On the other side of the argument, supporters of the bump stock argue that it is not the attachment that is the problem it is the people who own the weapons. “Let’s say I get drunk and I run over 30 people out in the middle of the road. It’s the person behind the wheel. The same thing with a gun, it’s the person behind that gun that’s at fault.”-Don Boyett (The Guardian) Pro-gun supporters believe that guns or gun attachments should not be regulated because of insane or senseless people. They also feel that a restriction on bump stocks or guns would be taken away their rights. They do not agree that a nationwide ‘punishment’ for gun owners should be put in place because a very small number of people choose to use them in a negative manner. They also argue that many people had no idea what a bump stock was until they saw that they could possibly be banned. “These people never even knew what a bump-fire stock was until they saw it on the news, now people are saying, ‘I got to get one of these before they’re not available anymore.’ ”(Andrew Wickerman-The Christian Science Monitor) People who support the right to own guns and even some of those who do not, agree that a ban on bump stocks would not be beneficial. They think that it would cause more harm than good and lead to even bigger problems. Many gun supporters and bump stock supporters do not understand the push for a ban against bump stocks, “But I’ve always thought these bump stocks were just a novelty,”.(LA Times) Another reason that they believe bump stocks should remain unrestricted and want to prevent a ban, is because they believe that the use of a bump stock provides no advantage to a person that is using one. Andrew Wickerman states that bumps are, “They’re not that good, and they’re hard as hell to control.”.(The Christian Science Monitor) The inaccuracy that a bump stock adds to a gun is reason enough for most gun enthusiast to fight and protest for them to remain available to the public. They often argue that using a bump stock would hinder the shooter and make it more difficult for him/her to hit their target than if they fired a gun without it. Paul Valone, President of Grassroots North Carolina states that, “[Bump stocks]are an amusement, because they don’t under normal circumstances turn an AR-15 into a killing machine, because you can’t hit anything with it.”(The Christian Science Monitor) He then goes on to describe how a weapon equipped with a bump stock can cause mass casualties, “Only when you are presented 400 yards away with a field of uninterrupted humanity would something like that even be effective.”(The Christian Science Monitor) He believes that bump stocks possess no advantage to the shooter and are essentially useless. Bump stocks are huge money makers, however, between gun hobbyist and competitive shooters bump stocks bring in a lot of revenue. The founder of Slide Fire, Jeremiah Cottle, was able to sell over $10 million worth of equipment in his first year of business alone.(The Guardian) With his base bump stocks starting at around $100 and a good product that many gun owners know has enabled him to dominate the bump stock industry. The Slide Fire website crashed from heavy traffic due to an want to buy a bump stock before they are banned. Should bump stocks be banned?
There are both positive and negative aspects to bump stops. For many of the negatives a positive counteracts it. How you feel about bump stocks can and may be affected by how you were raised and what you were exposed to but it can also be based on what you have seen in the news lately. The constant tragedy and repeated taking of innocent lives probably affects you in ways you can not express. You want the chaos and killings to stop but you do not know how or when they will come. How far must this go before a real change is made? Is it the people that are doing the killing? Are these attachments really giving shooters an advantage? Is there a sensible way to please both
sides? The most fascinating piece of information that i have learned from this paper is not only the the ATF has signed off on the sell, manufacture, and possession of bump stocks but that some of their own agents realized they have made a huge mistake. They understand that the use of a bump stock enables a semi-automatic weapon to mimic or simulate the fire of a machine gun and now after reviewing that have deemed that they should be illegal. However, they may not be able to reverse their decision. Many states have implemented laws that prevent the Federal government from restricting, regulating, and banning guns and gun accessories such as the bump stock. The ATF is stuck in a tight spot and can not come to a solution fast enough before another mass shooting occurs. Congress is in the same situation as the ATF and can not agree on what action should be taken. While many argue for the ban of bump stocks, others argue that people will do whatever it takes to get their hands on one and if they already own one then the government cannot confiscate their property without a warrant or proper cause. If we continue to allow them to be legal however school shootings and mass shootings will become something we begin to expect to happen and except it as everyday life. I am a supporter of the second amendment and have no problem with people owning multiple guns and multiple kinds of guns. On the other hand, I do not support the use of bump stocks to senseless murder innocent people. It is a disgusting and twisted crime that I will always have a hatred for. I also do not understand why a civilian would need a bump stock, and I am a strong believer that bump stocks do provide shooters with an advantage and a way to ensure that they are able to hurt a many people as possible. Bump stocks have no place in everyday civilian lifestyles. They should, in my opinion, be used in war and only war but I do not support or condone war. Bump stocks should be outlawed and not permitted to sell, manufacture, or possess in the United States. I believe that this will help cut back on gun violence and will also keep kids, schools, workplaces, and public areas much safer.
Works Cited
"Ban Bump Stocks: Justice Department Moves To Make Them Illegal To Own Or Sell." USA TODAY. N. p., 2018. Web. 19 Mar. 2018.
Bruinius, Harry, and Patrik Jonsson. "Why Gun Experts Don’T Support Banning – Or Buying – ‘Bump Stocks’." The Christian Science Monitor. N. p., 2017. Web. 19 Mar. 2018.
Buchanan, Larry et al. "What Is A Bump Stock And How Does It Work?." Nytimes.com. N. p., 2018. Web. 19 Mar. 2018.
"Bump-Stocks: How They Make Guns Fire Full-Auto, And Why They’Re Legal." The Trace. N. p., 2018. Web. 19 Mar. 2018.
Dart, Tom. "America's Bump Stock Capital: Can This Tiny Texas Town Survive Trump's Ban?." the Guardian. N. p., 2018. Web. 19 Mar. 2018.
"Ex-ATF Officials Says Bump-Stock OK Was Mistake." Connecticut Post. N. p., 2018. Web. 25 Mar. 2018.
"Lawmakers Say The ATF Should Regulate Bump Stocks. It's Not That Simple ." NPR.org. N. p., 2017. Web. 19 Mar. 2018.
"LIST: Guns And Evidence From Las Vegas Shooter Stephen Paddock." KTNV. N. p., 2018. Web. 19 Mar. 2018.
"NH State Rep Proposes Bump Stock Ban | New Hampshire ." UnionLeader.com. N. p., 2018. Web. 25 Mar. 2018.
"Should Bump Stocks Be Banned?." Laissez Faire. N. p., 2017. Web. 19 Mar. 2018.
"Texas Cities Can't Ban Rapid-Fire Bump Stocks Used In Vegas Mass Shooting | Politics | Dallas News." Dallasnews.com. N. p., 2018. Web. 19 Mar. 2018.
Why It's Called a "Bump Stock". 7 Oct. 2017, www.usnews.com/opinion/news/cartoons/cartoons/2017-10-07/daily-cartoons.
Zezima, Katie. "Facing Congressional Inaction, States Move To Ban Bump Stocks." Washington Post. N. p., 2018. Web. 19 Mar. 2018.