Press Release
Posted:
Washington – Today, Gun Violence Prevention Task Force Chair Mike Thompson (CA-04), Rep. Dina Titus (NV-01), and Rep. Dan Kildee (MI-08) held a press conference marking the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force’s new action to help ban bump stocks. On Tuesday morning, Rep. Titus filed a discharge petition for the Closing the Bump Stock Loophole Act (H.R. 396).
“Bump stocks drastically increase a weapon’s ability to kill. With the addition of a bump stock, semi-automatic weapons function like machineguns,” said Gun Violence Prevention Task Force Chair Mike Thompson. “The previous federal ban on bump stocks was put in place by a Republican administration and upheld by a Democratic one—because keeping our communities safe isn’t a partisan issue. Now that the Supreme Court has wrongfully struck down this commonsense protection, I’m urging my Republican colleagues to work with us to pass Rep. Titus’ Closing the Bump Stock Loophole Act to ban these deadly devices for good.”
“After my repeated attempts urging Republican leadership to bring this legislation for a vote, this petition is the necessary next step to enacting a permanent, federal ban on bump stocks,” said Rep. Titus. “The act of gun violence in Las Vegas on October 1, 2017 became a renewed reality when the Supreme Court wrongfully gutted the federal bump stock ban that had been in place since 2019. I won’t stop fighting until we see these devices banned once and for all.”
“After the Supreme Court’s dangerous and misguided decision to allow bump stocks to remain on America’s streets, it’s more important than ever for Congress to act on commonsense gun control legislation. Bump stocks, which turn firearms into fully automatic machine guns, have no place in our communities. I’m urging House Republicans to take up our bipartisan bill to close the bump stock loophole once-and-for-all and protect our communities from senseless gun violence,” said Rep. Kildee.
H.R. 396 would subject bump stocks to regulation under federal firearms laws. Specifically, the bill adds bump stocks to the list of firearms subject to regulation (e.g., registration and licensing requirements) under the National Firearms Act. Additionally, it includes bump stocks in the list of firearms subject to regulation (e.g., background check requirements) under the Gun Control Act of 1968.
Gun safety advocates also expressed support for the Task Force’s action to advance H.R. 396:
“Guns outfitted with bump stocks fire like machine guns and they kill like machine guns—and now that the Supreme Court has decided to put these deadly devices back on the market, Congress needs to take action. We applaud Congresswoman Titus and the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force for championing this lifesaving legislation, which would prevent potential mass shooters from being able to wreak havoc with a single pull of the trigger,” said John Feinblatt, President of Everytown for Gun Safety.
“With the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Garland v. Cargill, bump stocks – accessories that turn semi-automatic weapons into the functional equivalent of machine guns – are now back in civilian hands. This was a devastating decision for communities across America. Bump stocks were used in the deadliest mass shooting in modern history. In 2017, a gunman used firearms equipped with bump stocks to fire more than 1,000 bullets, kill 60 people, and wound hundreds of others at the Route 91 Harvest Festival. We cannot let this happen again. Brady applauds Rep. Dina Titus’ discharge petition on the 'Closing the Bump Stock Loophole Act' and we implore all members of Congress to support the petition and bring it to a vote to protect the communities that they serve from gun violence,” said Mark Collins, Director of Federal Policy, Brady.
“We commend Rep. Titus and the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force for taking this step to expedite a vote to ban bump stocks. Bump stocks essentially turn semi-automatic guns into machineguns. With the Supreme Court's disastrous ruling to overturn the ATF ban on these dangerous devices, it is incumbent upon Congress to act now. We urge all members of Congress to support Rep. Titus’s bill and the petition to bring it before the House of Representatives for a vote. Lives are on the line,” said Emma Brown, GIFFORDS Executive Director.
“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. Even Trump’s DOJ agreed, when they banned them in 2017,” said Elena Perez, a Senior Policy Associate at March For Our Lives. “With the Supreme Court undoing that Trump-era ban, and the US Senate failing to take action, it’s time for the House to ban these dangerous attachments. The fact is, there will be another mass shooting, and thanks to legalized bump stocks there is a good chance it will be exponentially deadlier. Congress must do its job and listen to the 80% of Americans who support a ban, and pass this discharge petition.”
Background on Bump Stocks
On June 14, 2024, the Supreme Court overturned a years-long federal bump stock ban previously enacted by a Republican Administration, making these dangerous devices legal for civilian use in states that do not currently have state-level bans. Bump stocks affix to assault rifles and generate automatic fire similar to machineguns, allowing a shooter to fire at a rate of 400 to 800 rounds per minute. These devices were used to carry out the Route 91 Festival shooting in Las Vegas, Nevada on October 1, 2017. This act of gun violence remains the deadliest mass shooting in our nation’s history, killing 58 individuals and injuring hundreds more in a matter of minutes.
Background on Discharge Petitions
A discharge petition is a rarely-used procedure by which a bill can be brought to the floor for a vote once it reaches 218 signatories. Rep. Thompson led the House’s most recent successful discharge petition in May of this year.