A federal bump stock ban went into effect Tuesday, prompted by the 2017 Las Vegas shooting in which bump stocks were involved in the killing of 58 people.
» RELATED: Ban on bump stocks: Georgians divided over Trump's ruling
The Supreme Court is so far declining to stop the Trump administration from enforcing its ban on bump stock devices, which allow semi-automatic weapons to fire like machine guns.
Gun rights groups asked the court Monday to keep the government from beginning to enforce the ban for now. Chief Justice John Roberts declined a request for the court to get involved Tuesday. A second request is pending in front of Justice Sonia Sotomayor.
The reaction in Georgia to President Donald Trump's decision after the massacre was sharply divided among gun rights advocates and those seeking to restrict gun access, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Alexis Stevens reported in December.
» RELATED: The Jolt: Bump stocks and dogs that don't bark
“When you start banning accessories to firearms, then you really get on a slippery slope,” said Jerry Henry, executive director of Georgia Carry. “It doesn’t change the function of the firearm, and therefore it shouldn’t be banned.”
Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver, D-Decatur, on the other hand, told The AJC she’s “delighted... that President Trump did something that makes me happy.”
Bump stock owners are permitted to destroy the devices by crushing, melting or shredding them "so long as the Bump Stock is completely severed in the areas constituting critical design features, denoted by the red lines in the specific model of Bump Stock destruction diagrams that follow," according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Current possessors can also abandon bump-stock-type devices at their nearest ATF office, but should make an appointment beforehand.
Failure to destroy or turn in a bump stock will result in felony charges, including a $250,000 violation fine and a possible 10-year prison term. The ATF emphasizes on its FAQ page that state laws permitting the devices do not outweigh the federal ban.
Read the full ruling at govinfo.gov.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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