Massachusetts

Agreement Reached on Bump Stock Ban in Massachusetts

Massachusetts lawmakers have agreed on language that calls for a ban on "bump stocks," devices that can increase the firing rate of a weapon. 

The state would be the first to ban bump stocks since the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. 

Investigators say the gunman who opened fire on a Las Vegas music festival, killing 58 people and wounding hundreds more, used the device that allows a semi-automatic firearm to mimic a fully automatic one. 

The proposed ban was added to an $85 million budget bill. Republican Gov. Charlie Baker supports a ban. 

Lawmakers were initially considering banning any device that attaches to a rifle or shotgun to increase the discharge rate, which gun rights advocates opposed. 

They adopted narrower language specifically prohibiting bump stocks and trigger cranks. 

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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