Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick
Bipartisan efforts to regulate firearm bump stocks and close a loophole in existing firearms law gained traction in the House on Tuesday with the introduction of a bill from U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) to implement reforms following the Las Vegas mass shooting.
Fitzpatrick introduced the Closing the Bump Stock Loophole Act, H.R. 4168, with U.S. Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV), who represents Las Vegas. On Oct. 1, a shooter in Las Vegas used guns with bump stock devices to kill 58 people and injure 489 others in the deadliest mass shooting in modern history.
The measure “demonstrates a serious bipartisan commitment to keeping our communities safe,” said Fitzpatrick, a former federal gun crimes prosecutor and FBI agent.
The National Firearms Act currently prohibits ownership of fully automatic weapons and firearms manufactured after May 19, 1986. However, bump stock devices, which attach to semi-automatic rifles to increase the rate of fire, currently are legal and unregulated.
Fitzpatrick’s bill would require the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to regulate bump stocks and similarly functional devices for firearms in the same way as machine guns and suppressors. Bump stock owners and purchasers would be required to undergo a background check, fingerprinting, and pay a $200 registration fee.
“We must do everything in our power to prevent the kind of evil we see in horrifying incidents like the Las Vegas shootings, and resolve as a nation to confront this evil through meaningful, bipartisan legislative action and an ongoing commitment to keep our communities safe from gun violence,” Fitzpatrick said.
U.S. Reps. Dave Trott (R-MI) and Dan Kildee (D-MI) are also original cosponsors of the bill.
In the aftermath of the Las Vegas shooting, Fitzpatrick said the ATF has urged Congress to close the bump stock loophole.
“As former law enforcement professionals, it is difficult to swallow the fact that the horror of this event was exacerbated by the bump stock, a device engineered to avoid regulation under federal law — but unfortunately, it is not surprising,” said Michael Bouchard, president of the ATF Association. “We are grateful to Representatives Fitzpatrick, Kildee, Titus and Trott for introducing this proposal that will regulate these dangerous weapons under the National Firearms Act, and for recognizing the need for Congress to act to keep American communities safe.”
Trott said the legislation “ends the cycle of knee-jerk legislation, hastily thrown together in the wake of these all too common tragedies,” adding that it gives the ATF the regulatory flexibility it needs.