The Department of Justice announced a proposal Friday to ban bump stocks, devices that essentially convert semiautomatic weapons into machine guns. The announcement came just a day ahead of the "March for Our Lives" rally in Washington.
Thousands of young people are expected to converge on the nation's capital to demand gun control following the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, last month that left 17 people dead.
President Donald Trump announced the new proposal on Twitter. "We will BAN all devices that turn legal weapons into illegal machine guns," the president tweeted.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions issued a statement on the proposed ban, referring to the Las Vegas massacre in October that left 58 people dead. The shooter used bump stocks on a number of weapons to increase their firepower.
"After the senseless attack in Las Vegas, this proposed rule is a critical step in our effort to reduce the threat of gun violence," Sessions said.
On Feb. 20, Trump issued a memorandum instructing Session to ban bump stocks. The proposal announced on Friday is a response to that memorandum.
Credit: George Frey
Credit: George Frey
