Considine calls for hearing on bill to ban “bump stocks”
St. Paul, Minn. – With no meaningful action yet being taken by the Minnesota House of Representatives to further gun safety this session, Rep. Jack Considine, DFL-Mankato, is calling for a hearing on his bill to ban bump stocks.
The bill, HF 2781, would restrict the sale of bump stocks in Minnesota. A bump stock is a mechanism that, when applied to a semi-automatic weapon, can increase the rate of fire to nearly that of an automatic weapon, which is illegal in the United States. Most recently, a bump stock was used in the Las Vegas concert shooting, contributing to the deaths of 58 Americans.
“I want to make progress toward increasing gun safety,” said Rep. Considine. “This bill, like the two heard in committee last week, is a common sense step that protects gun rights and owners while keeping these lethal trigger activators off our streets.
“The majority stalled the most recent bills in committee and may do the same with mine; the latest example of their preference for playing partisan games instead of making reasonable changes in the interest of saving lives. Minnesotans have spoken. They want solutions and it’s high time we deliver.
“On Wednesday, Gov. Dayton announced his support for legislation to clarify bump stocks as illegal modifications in state law. I’m glad to have his support and will continue to fight for this bill.”
Rep. Considine is also co-author on the bills heard in committee last week. The first, HF 1669, would require a criminal background check for most firearm transfers. The second, HF1605, would allow law enforcement and family members to petition a court to prohibit people found to pose a significant danger to themselves or others from possessing a firearm.
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