A gun store owner in the bi-state is calling President Donald Trump's administration's proposal to ban bump stocks "a political move" that means essentially nothing.
President Trump ordered the Justice Department to work to ban bump stocks last month, after the deadly shooting at a high school in Florida. Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced Saturday the Justice Department has taken the first official steps to ban the device, which allows a semi-automatic gun to fire like an automatic weapon.
"The Department of Justice has submitted to the Office of Management and Budget a notice of a proposed regulation to clarify that the National Firearms and Gun Control Act defines 'machinegun' to include bump stock type devices," Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in a statement issued Saturday. "President Trump is absolutely committed to ensuring the safety and security of every American and he has directed us to propose a regulation addressing bump stocks."
The proposed bump stock ban does not need the approval of Congress, which is why it could face legal challenges. In 2010, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said the devices were not regulated under existing gun laws. The federal agency said banning bump stocks was beyond its authority and ruled only Congress can act to ban them.
"I don't think [President Trump] has really examined what he is proposing here," said Terry Bast, a gun store owner in Missouri and Illinois.
Terry Bast owns a gun store in Illinois called Goschen Arms and City Firearms in Missouri.
"[Bump stocks] are not very common," he said. "You don't see a lot of them."
We spoke to other gun stores, who said when they've had bump stocks in their store, they've flown off the shelves. The controversial device came under scrutiny last year when a gunman killed more than 50 people and injured hundreds of others in Las Vegas. But, it was only until the shooting in Florida, President Trump ordered them to be banned.
"How do you take the bump stocks out of people's hands," Bast said. "What do they take from us next."
Bast believes it could be the rifles, including the AR-15, the gun used in the Florida school shooting. He said politicians are missing the boat on a much larger issue.
"I'm afraid of politicians that react instead of doing their real job and finding out the cause why these people cause the mass murders."
