With the blessing of both the NRA and President Trump, the ATF has outlined a new interpretation of the National Firearms Act of 1934. The latest interpretation finds that somehow the legislation from 1934 prohibits bump stock devices which were introduced to the market in 2010 and considered perfectly legal until 2018. Weird how that works.
What is the Bump Stock Ban?
Bump stocks have been banned because the government believes they are the only way to fire semi-automatic weapons at an accelerated rate. Apparently they've never heard of belt loops. White House press secretary, Sarah Sanders, states that bump stocks fall within the definition of machine guns, which are so heavily regulated by federal firearms law that ownership might as well be explicitly banned. The rule is now in effect and owners of the bump stock firearms accessory have until March 16, 2019, to either destroy or surrender them or become an overnight felon.
The push for the new bump stock law was brought to action a year after the Las Vegas shooting on October 1st, 2017. The shooter in Las Vegas used bump stock devices on his firearms which allowed him to fire rounds at an accelerated rate, killing 58 people and injuring hundreds more. However, it's important to note that a bump stock is merely a firearm accessory. It makes no change to the composition of either the trigger group or the internals of the firearm. A bump stock works by allowing the shooter to keep the trigger pressed to the rear while the recoil of the gun itself becomes the mechanism for re-setting the trigger, a task usually accomplished by the user releasing the trigger after each pull.
Outlawing an accessory is a scary concept. In the instance of the bump stock ban, the justification is that the bump stock increases the firearm's rate of fire. What will this mean for upgraded triggers, adjustable gas blocks, enhanced bolt carrier groups or Jerry Miculeck's index finger?
Only time will tell.
According to the ATF, after the implementation of the new bump stock law, you have two options: hand over the bump stock or destroy it yourself.
Access instructions on how to properly destroy a bump stock here.
Access instructions on what the founders thought should happen to tyrannical governments here.
The passage of legislation in the wake of tragedy is rarely a good idea. Sure, the 22ND Amendment was a fine idea following twelve years of expanding government under FDR, but, most of the time, heightened passions do not make the best decisions.
New Jersey's Recent Magazine Ban
On December 11, 2018, New Jersey implemented a new law that requires its law-abiding citizens to surrender magazines that carry enough ammunition to defend themselves against multiple adversaries. As of this writing, exactly ZERO New Jersey residents have turned in their standard capacity AR magazines.
New Jersey isn't the first state to fail at Second Amendment infringement.
According to the Baltimore Sun, Maryland spent millions of dollars on a gun "fingerprint" database only to abandon it years later after it failed to help solve a single crime committed with a firearm. The idea was to require gun manufacturers to send a casing from the test firing of each gun it would be selling in the state of Maryland so that the state could have the gun's "fingerprint" on file in case it was ever used in a crime.
Additionally, the state of New York had to give up on a similar effort in 2012 when it too failed to solve crimes in which the criminal used a gun.
Parris N. Glendening was the Governor of Maryland at the time of its failed attempt to "fingerprint" firearms. She told the Washington Post, "Obviously, I'm disappointed...It's a little unfortunate, in that logic and common sense suggest that it would be a good crime-fighting tool."
As Ben Shapiro says, "facts don't care about your feelings." It certainly would feel nice to believe that laws prevent crimes, but both historic and contemporary society prove that notion false. However, it's worth remembering that not only do we live in a safer society than generations before, in most cases where a criminal uses a firearm to commit a crime, wait for it....the gun was stolen.
"Violent crime in the U.S. has fallen sharply over the past quarter century. The two most commonly cited sources of crime statistics in the U.S. both show a substantial decline in the violent crime rate since it peaked in the early 1990s. One is an annual report by the FBI of serious crimes reported to police in approximately 18,000 jurisdictions around the country. The other is an annual survey of more than 90,000 households conducted by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, which asks Americans ages 12 and older whether they were victims of crime, regardless of whether they reported those crimes to the police."
As for gun laws preventing gun crimes, research suggest that the majority of guns used in crimes are acquired illegally.
We are left to wonder how one more law, in an already long list of laws, will prevent further tragedies.
But more so, it will be interesting to see if gun owners decide to comply or resist. If this is the government's attempt to molon labe, will people be willing to comply or will they simply tell them to kick rocks?
We will have to wait and see, but my money says the bump stock ban will only result in massive court battles, ruined American businesses, and not a single life saved in the process.
Recommended Stocks
If you find yourself affected by the new bump stock law and need to dispose of your bump stocks, we recommend the options below:
MAGPUL CTR Stock
Mounts on mil-spec sized carbine receiver extension tube (not included) from manufacturers such as Colt, Armalite, S&W, LMT, and of course Palmetto State Armory. The supplemental friction lock minimizes accuracy robbing wobble while the sloping cheek weld provides a slim profile for user comfort.
B5 Systems Enhanced SOPMOD Stock
B5 Systems has taken the venerable design of the Sopmod Buttstock and incorporated the features sought by military professionals and firearm enthusiasts. Building upon its exceptional cheek-weld and storage capabilities the B5 Systems Enhanced Sopmod Buttstock features an ambidextrous quick disconnect sling swivel mount and color matching hardware.  | About Kris VermillionKris Vermillion is a lifelong shooter who focuses his training on defensive shooting techniques and the shooter's mindset. Kris works with the Palmetto State Armory E-Commerce and Marketing teams. |