Heinrich, Collins, Cortez Masto Announce Bipartisan, Bicameral Legislation to Permanently Ban Bump Stock Devices
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) introduced the Banning Unlawful Machinegun Parts (BUMP) Act, legislation to prohibit the sale of bump stocks and other devices that allow semi-automatic firearms to increase their rate of fire and effectively operate as fully automatic weapons. U.S. Representative Dina Titus (D-Nev.) has introduced companion legislation in the House.
“In January, a federal court of appeals ruled that it would require an ‘act of Congress’ to federally outlaw bump stocks. Here it is,” said Heinrich. “Bump stocks exist to kill the most people in the shortest amount of time. There’s no good reason any person should have them in their possession. It’s past time we ban these deadly devices for good.”
“Bump stocks are designed to turn semi-automatic firearms into what are essentially machine guns,” said Collins. “This bipartisan legislation will prohibit the use of these dangerous devices while protecting the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding Americans.”
“My hometown was forever changed by the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival shooting. Bump stocks like the one used that night have no place on our streets, and I’m proud to join commonsense legislation to permanently ban these dangerous devices,” said Cortez Masto.
“On October 1, 2017, bump stocks enabled a mass shooter to perpetrate the deadliest shooting in modern American history in my district. While judicial challenges to bump stocks and similar mechanisms persist, inaction by Congress could allow them to remain legal and lead to more loss of life. I'm proud to stand with my colleagues and work to keep bump stocks out of the arsenals of would-be killers and off our streets,” said Titus.
On October 1, 2017, a bump stock was used to fire more than 1,000 bullets into a crowd in Las Vegas, NV in just 10 minutes, killing 60 people. In response, under the Trump Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) initiated a ban on these lethal devices. This rule was enacted in 2019. But on January 6 and April 25, 2023, the Fifth and Sixth Circuits blocked the ban – both stating that it would require an ‘act of Congress’ to federally outlaw bump stocks.
While the ban on bump stocks currently remains in effect, the Circuit decisions place the ban in danger of repeal. The BUMP Act would protect the bump stock ban by passing it into federal law.
Heinrich, Cortez Masto, and former Senator Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) initially introduced the BUMP Act in the 115th Congress, prior to the Trump Administration’s enactment of the ban on bump stocks in 2018. Collins also cosponsored this legislation.
The BUMP Act has been endorsed by numerous gun safety organizations, including Everytown for Gun Safety, GIFFORDS, Brady, March for Our Lives, Newtown Action Alliance, March Fourth, Violence Policy Center, and New Mexicans to Prevent Gun Violence.
"Rifles equipped with bump stocks fire like machine guns and they kill like machine guns. It’s no coincidence that bump stocks were used in our nation’s deadliest mass shooting, where 60 people were murdered at a country music festival in Las Vegas. It’s plain commonsense to prohibit these deadly accessories so we can keep our communities safe and we applaud Senator Heinrich for his leadership to help make that a reality,” said John Feinblatt, President of Everytown for Gun Safety.
"Fully automatic weapons can cause enormous devastation in just a few seconds. That's why they have been strictly regulated for nearly 90 years. Bump stocks and other conversion devices which allow shooters to increase their rate of fare undermine public safety and endanger law enforcement. While ATF took a significant first step by properly regulating these devices, it’s not enough. We applaud Senator Heinrich and Senator Collins for introducing the Banning Unlawful Machinegun Parts (BUMP) Act and working across the aisle to put an end to prolonged judicial disputes and ban bump stocks once and for all,” said Adzi Vokhiwa, GIFFORDS Federal Affairs Director.
“Bump stocks, and other accessories that effectively turn semi-automatic weapons into machine guns, are designed to undermine laws that have been in place for nearly a century. As we witnessed in the horrific 2017 Las Vegas attack, where 60 people were killed and over 400 more were gravely injured in just a few minutes, these devices are a direct threat to public safety. Brady applauds Senator Heinrich and Senator Collins for introducing the bipartisan BUMP Act to stop these dangerous devices from wreaking more carnage in our communities,” said Kris Brown, President of Brady.
“Bump stocks turn an already deadly weapon into an exponentially more efficient weapon of terror and mass destruction. You can kill dozens of people within minutes with a bump stock. Yet somehow, they are legal and widely available,” said Elena Perez, a Senior Policy Associate at March For Our Lives. “We know how this story plays out. Bump stocks enabled the deadliest mass shooting in modern American history, in Las Vegas in 2017. Even the NRA was horrified. The gun lobby’s memory is short, and as they backtrack and move to oppose bump stock regulations, we must codify in law what we should've done long ago—it's time to ban bump stocks.”
“Bump stocks are designed to convert semiautomatic weapons into machine guns and these deadly devices were used by the Las Vegas mass shooter to murder 60 people and injure over 400 others. Newtown Action Alliance urges Congress to urgently pass Banning Unlawful Machinegun Parts (BUMP) Act of 2023 to protect the ATF ban from extremist federal judges who are working to overturn the ban,” said Po Murray, Chairwoman of Newtown Action Alliance. “Highly lethal machine guns have been regulated for decades and these conversion devices should be banned to keep our children and loved ones safe in our communities.”
"We need leaders in Congress, like Senators Collins and Heinrich, to work across the aisle towards ending the mass shooting epidemic in America. The introduction of this bipartisan bill brings us one step closer to making our communities safer from the all-too-real threat of mass shootings - which 80% of Americans say are ‘a crisis’ or a ‘major issue,’” said Kitty Brandtner, Founder of March Fourth.
“Bump stocks, similar devices, as well as modifications that allow semiautomatic assault weapons to mimic full-auto machine gun fire have absolutely no legitimate purpose. The shooter in America’s deadliest mass shooting used 12 rifles equipped with bump stocks to fire more than 1,000 rounds into a crowd at the Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas in 2017. The Violence Policy Center commends Senator Heinrich and Senator Collins for their leadership in pursuing a permanent ban on these deadly devices,” stated Violence Policy Center Director of Government Affairs Kristen Rand.
“Senator Heinrich is leading the charge to make our communities safer in New Mexico and across the country,” said Miranda Viscoli, co-President of New Mexicans to Prevent Gun Violence. “In 2022, he played a critical role in passing the first federal gun violence prevention legislation in thirty years. Now, the BUMP Act, having obtained the bipartisan, bicameral support of Senator Susan Collins will bolster the legal framework that makes it possible for law enforcement to address the epidemic of violence that New Mexicans have experienced through guns modified to be fully automatic.”
The full text of the BUMP Act is available here. A fact sheet is available here.
