Bump stocks, the devices that essentially turn a semiautomatic gun into a machine gun, will soon be outlawed in the state of Washington.
Gov. Jay Inslee signed a bill today prohibiting the sale and use of bump stocks, which are a devastating tool in the hands of a mass shooter. The perpetrator of the deadliest shooting in U.S. history used bump stocks last year on the Las Vegas strip, killing 58 people and injuring hundreds more.
The bill Inslee signed makes it a crime to manufacture, sell, purchase, own, furnish, assemble, repair, loan, transport or possess bump stocks in Washington. The legislation, Senate Bill 5992, also increases the prison sentence for someone who uses a bump stock while committing a felony.
The new law directs the Washington State Patrol to create a bump stock buyback program that allows people to relinquish their bump stocks in exchange for $150 per device. WSP will run the program in coordination with local police agencies.
Beginning July 1, 2019, law enforcement officials who encounter bump stocks can seize them immediately.
Read the rest of the story on the governor's Medium page.