VSP accepts bump-fire stocks from public

Posted Monday, September 17, 2018 6:09 pm

BENNINGTON — With two weeks go to until a state ban takes effect, all Vermont State Police barracks have begun accepting bump-fire stocks from members of the public.

Vermont residents who own a bump-fire stock can anonymously turn it in to any of the 10 VSP barracks throughout the state. Barracks staff will take no information about the identity of the person who surrenders the device.

These devices will be held in a "secure area in the barracks pending destruction," according to a VSP press release. Bump-fire stocks may not be attached to a firearm when they are brought to the barracks, and the stocks must be removed from weapons before entering the barracks.

A prohibition on the ownership of bump-fire stocks was one element of Act 94, a set of gun regulations that was sponsored by Sen. Dick Sears and signed into law by Gov. Phil Scott in April. Under this new law, possession of a bump-fire stock after Oct. 1, 2018 is punishable by up to one year in prison and $1,000 in fines.

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The bill also banned high-capacity magazines, raised the minimum age to purchase a gun and expanded background checks to private sales. The constitutionality of the magazine ban has been challenged in two lawsuits.

Bump stocks are designed to make a semi-automatic weapon fire nearly as fast as a fully automatic weapon. They are metal or plastic devices that replace the standard stock on a rifle, allowing it to slide back and forth rapidly and re-cock after each fired round.

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The devices incited more countrywide gun law discussions after the October 2017 Las Vegas shooting in which 59 people were killed after the gunman fired over 1,100 rounds into a concert crowd. The gunman's semi-automatic weapon was likely modified with a bump-fire stock; authorities discovered 12 bump-fire stocks attached to firearms in his hotel room during the investigation.

VTDigger reports that Florida, Maryland, Washington, New Jersey and Massachusetts are among the states that have banned the devices, but the laws have proven difficult to enforce.

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New Jersey residents were given until mid-April to hand over the devices, and not a single person had handed one over as of mid-May. In Massachusetts, three devices were given to police by the February deadline for voluntary surrender.

Law enforcement officers in states with the bans have said they expect the bump stock ban will mostly come into play when investigating other suspected crimes that lead them to the illegal devices.

People can turn in these devices during regular barracks hours of 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Barracks locations can be viewed at http://vsp.vermont.gov/stations. In Bennington County, the barracks is located on Airport Road in Shaftsbury.

Christie Wisniewski can be reached at cwisniewski@benningtonbanner.com and at 802-447-7567, ext. 111.