President Trump Directs Justice Department to Ban Bump Stocks

"Just a few moments ago I signed a memorandum directing the attorney general to propose regulations to ban all devices that turn legal weapons into machine guns."

• By Sydny Shepard
• Feb 20, 2018

President Donald Trump has directed the Justice Department to ban gun modifications that turn a legal firearm into automatic weapons.

During a ceremony at the White House where the president was due to award 12 public safety officers with the Public Safety Medal of Valor, he addressed the ongoing conversation of gun control.

"After the deadly shooting in Las Vegas, I directed Attorney General to clarify whether certain bump stock devices, like the one used in Las Vegas, are illegal under current law," Trump said. "That process began in December and just a few moments ago I signed a memorandum directing the attorney general to propose regulations to ban all devices that turn legal weapons into machine guns."

While a timeline for the banning of these devices was not clear, President Trump did say that he believed these "critical regulations would be finalized very soon."

The announcement comes almost four months after a gunman open fired into a crowd of concertgoers at the Route 91 Harvest music festival in Las Vegas leaving 58 people dead and 851 injured. The shooter used a device called a "bump stock" to allow his semi-automatic rifles to fire at a rate similar to that of a fully automatic weapon.

"The key is that we cannot merely take actions that make us feel like we are making a difference, we must actually make a difference," Trump concluded.