Trump says he is 'writing out' bump stocks

President Donald Trump said Monday he is “writing out” so-called bump stocks, which allow semi-automatic weapons to mimic the firing speed of fully automatic weapons.

“Bump stocks, we are writing that out. I am writing that out,” he said, addressing a group of state governors at the White House. “I don’t care if Congress does it or not, I’m writing it out myself."


The president’s comments come after the Feb. 14 shooting at a Florida high school that left 17 students and staff dead. Last week, he directed the Department of Justice to create regulations that ban bump stocks.

Trump also said bump stocks should be put into the same category as certain firearms, making it “tough” to get them.

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“You do a rule, have to wait 90 days,” he said. “That’s sort of what’s happening with bump stocks. It’s gone, don’t worry about it. It’s gone, essentially gone, because we are going to make it so tough, you’re not going to be able to get them. Nobody’s going to want them anyway.”

Numerous GOP lawmakers have recently called for a ban on the devices. Republican Gov. Rick Scott of Florida released a gun control proposal on Friday in which he called for a higher age limit to buy certain guns, as well as a ban on the purchase or selling of bump stocks.

Trump referred to Stephen Paddock, the gunman in Las Vegas who used the accessories to kill 58 people and wound hundreds of others in October.

“A bump stock, you shoot rapidly but not accurately,” Trump said. “The bullets come out fast, but you don’t know where the hell they’re going. That’s why nobody even really, too much, came to its defense. He [Paddock] used it in Las Vegas. He was using bump stocks in Las Vegas, as you know. So, I'm getting rid of them.”