GUNS/LEGAL/NEW YORK: “Lawmakers in the New York region are starting the new year with a drive to ban the sale and possession of ‘bump stocks,’ devices that allow semiautomatic weapons to essentially act as automatic firearms.
Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy on Tuesday [1-9-18] said the Las Vegas mass shooting in October demonstrated the need for more action. In that attack, gunman Stephen Paddock used at least one rifle outfitted with a bump stock to spray gunfire over an outdoor music festival, killing 58 people and injuring more than 400… The governor has proposed a ban on so-called ‘binary trigger systems’ and ‘trigger cranks,’ which allow guns to shoot more rapidly.
On Monday, the New Jersey legislature gave final approval to a similar bill banning the sale and possession of bump stocks. The legislation is now on the desk of Gov. Chris Christie, who hasn’t said if he will sign the bill. Previously, the Republican said he was open to regulation of the device. A spokesman for the governor declined to comment…
California and Massachusetts are currently the only states that have a clear prohibition on the sale and possession of bump stock devices, according to Ari Freilich, staff attorney for the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, a group that supports stronger gun laws.
In New York, residents are banned from possessing weapons that simulate machine-gun fire, which applies to guns equipped with bump stocks, Mr. Freilich said. But New York law doesn’t restrict the sale or possession of bump stocks themselves.”
-Joseph De Avila, “Tri-State Lawmakers Push for ‘Bump Stock’ Sales Bans,” The Wall Street Journal online, Jan. 9, 2018 03:58pm