What Georgia thinks about: Banning bump stocks

Yes, Congress should act with legislation to ban bump stocks vs. the attempt to strengthen any regulations by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Bump stocks enable semiautomatic weapons to be converted into automatic weapons, which are currently (mostly) banned. Automatic weapons are dangerous killing machines and currently serve no meaningful purpose outside of the military. If Congress is unable to draft and pass specific legislation, states should take the initiative and ban the dangerous devices themselves. The Second Amendment can be argued (pro/con), but it absolutely does not give anyone the right to commit mass murder.

• Candice Crigler, a student studying global affairs who lives in Dunwoody

I am a firm believer in the constitutionally protected rights that we as citizens hold. Gun control of any type is a very heated topic in America and even abroad. When it comes to items like bump stocks or slide-fire rifles, I would hazard to guess that most readers here had likely never heard of these devices until the recent terroristic acts in Vegas.What many may not know is that bump stocks do not increase the lethality of the rifle that they are equipped on. Further, these modifications do not circumvent any laws because there is still only one bullet fired per trigger pull.I am not in favor of further restrictions on firearms. I’ve drawn the line in that regard because I know that any further regulations will simply be the first step of many future attempts to limit our rights.I say this as someone that does not even like bump stocks, but banning them on the federal level sets a dangerous precedent.

• Nicholas White, works in the pharmaceutical industry and lives in Moultrie

Since I cannot fathom what other use this (or any other similar) device can be used for, I think it should be banned. I do, however, recognize that after each tragic mass shooting an uprise occurs regarding regulations. Sadly, it is mostly just “political speak”' with no positive results.

• Patricia Fritz, retired and lives in Hartwell

When James Madison composed the Constitution firearms only fired one round a minute, and most guns were used for hunting meat for the table ... not hunting humans; additionally, a standing army was something to be concerned about because of the bad experiences the colonists had with the Red Coats. So the Second Amendment seemed like a good solution -- people could keep a fowling piece and the states could call together a militia when threatened by Britain or Spain. The Founding Fathers could never have envisioned a standing army of nearly 500,000 men and women, let alone weapons that could fire 600 rounds a minute. It's unreasonable and unnecessary to take away gun rights in America for responsible, legal gun owners. However, there is no need for bump stocks or trigger cranks. Those are accessories and not essential to the safe and practical use of a firearm. They should not only be banned but confiscated and destroyed.

• Michelle Zupan, works for a non-profit and lives in Augusta

Since the beginning of time there have been men who perpetuated great evil. No amount of laws can stop them. Making laws against a legal accessory to a firearm that can be manufactured by a 3D printer in five minutes, and thinking that it will reduce crime, is asinine. We already have over 10,000 laws that regulate firearms, and besides, we have laws against murder, too. Before we pass another law that limits our freedoms, don't you think it would be wise to try to determine if the new law would actually solve the problem? There is great anguish, anger and frustration in the aftermath of this horrific slaughter, but the sheriff of Las Vegas declared that there was absolutely nothing that could have been done to prevent this. The bump stock does not convert a semiautomatic rifle into a fully automatic one. It still fires at the rate of one trigger pull per round. It just enables you to pull the trigger faster. The Second Amendment is our last line of defense against tyranny. What happens when the people in power decide not to abide by election results that they don't like? That isn't far-fetched. It recently happened in Venezuela, and they had been a free people and a democracy for a very long time. Taking no action is better than a knee-jerk action that accomplishes nothing and takes away individual liberty.

• Lou Davis, works in international business and is a part-time instructor at Lanier Technical College, teaching GED to inmates at both the Dawson and Lumpkin county jails

The decision to ban the bump stock on weapons making them fully automatic should not be difficult at all. A ban should be put in place immediately simply because there is no realistic need for the product. The only group with a need for this type of modification would be for the military. It's been reported the gunman in Vegas was able to shoot 90 bullets in 10 seconds. Why would any civilian have a need for that type of destruction in such a small time frame? We have to begin to look at the laws around gun ownership and react with smart, concise and effective regulations that will deter this type of event in the future.

• Marcus Copeland, works in banking and lives in McDonough

Yes, these devices pose an extreme danger to the public, especially in the wrong hands. Banning these devices would not significantly infringe on Americans' right to bear arms for legitimate purposes.

• James Radford, civil rights lawyer who lives in Decatur

I think this one is pretty simple: If machine guns or automatic weapons are illegal, then a device that turns a conventional weapon into an automatic weapon should be illegal as well. There is no reason for anyone to have an automatic weapon short of a zombie apocalypse.

• Tommy Burkhalter, a web designer who lives in Senoia

Bump stocks should not be permitted. I own several guns. Among them are an AR and an AK. There is only one use for a bump stock, and it has no practical application except to bypass the law which prevents a person from turning a semiautomatic weapon into an automatic weapon. Additionally, a "silencer" should not be permitted. There are more than enough ear protection devices on the market to shoot down any positive argument for a silencer.

• Richard Kraft, retired from the real estate industry and lives in Peachtree Corners

First, my heart goes out to the victims of the recent tragedy in Las Vegas and all the other recent mass shootings. In light of the recent increase in mass shootings, it is absolutely worthwhile to re-examine the legality of bump stocks and other equipment considering fully automatic weapons are illegal. However, we must remember that regulation often spurs innovation, and even though we outlaw automatic weapons technologies, they may advance in the private market. We may have to deal with this issue again in the future. However, it is always worth examining the effectiveness of gun laws to ensure the safety of all of our country's citizens.

• Greg Bieger, works in the tech industry and lives in Marietta

There is wisdom in the phrase “Just because you CAN, doesn’t mean you SHOULD.” I do believe that the Constitution guarantees that Americans can own guns without fear of seizure by the government. But should people be able to buy any gun, any accessory, simply because it is manufactured? Justice Antonin Scalia, himself, wrote in his majority opinion in D.C. v. Heller, “Like most rights, the right secured by the Second Amendment is not unlimited.” He even went on to say that court rulings in the past “…routinely explained that the right was not a right to keep and carry any weapon whatsoever in any manner whatsoever and for whatever purpose.”Any restriction or ban on bump stocks will simply be a corrective measure to help save American lives. We must find a better national balance regarding gun rights between what we can do and what we should do for the good of all citizens.

• Karen Lupton, works at A.G. Rhodes Health & Rehab and lives in Chamblee

To be honest, I had never heard of a bump stock before. My dad collected guns, and my husband used to hunt, and neither ever mentioned a bump stock. I have done some research on it and have found it is considered a “novelty item.” It does not appear to me that it has any real use other than to give someone the thrill of seeing what it would be like to shoot a machine gun. With that said, I do not trust Congress, and I am not sure what “similar devices” would be considered. In gun-free countries such as England and France, we still see massacres with guns. In Chicago, a gun-free city, there are countless people killed each year with guns. Will banning bump stocks or even guns, for that matter, stop evil people? The people intent on killing someone always find a way to obtain outlawed weapons and/or devices, and seem to stay one step ahead of the law.As long as Hollywood glorifies violence and gives people ideas of how to commit these horrific crimes, we will have scenes like Las Vegas. I am not against banning the bump stock; however, what will be the next step? I always want to be allowed to have a personal weapon to protect myself from someone intent on harming me, and I will always believe the Second Amendment guarantees me that right.

• Mary Patrick, a certified public accountant who lives in Jasper County

There is no reason to believe that banning bump stocks and similar devices, such as trigger cranks, is a worthwhile effort for Congress. Since the Las Vegas shooting, much attention has been focused on how these devices work, and it is important to understand that they do not change how a semiautomatic weapon fires. These are merely accessories used to increase the rate of single shots fired, and there are multiple other ways to accomplish the same effect. Banning such devices does not eliminate a shooter's ability to fire a semiautomatic weapon rapidly.The recent effort to outlaw these devices is another knee-jerk reaction by gun control proponents, and it would result in no meaningful outcome. This is a distraction from the real problems we face as a People — wars of ideology and how to constructively deal with differing viewpoints and the mentally unstable. We must address the roots of our society’s real problems to begin conquering the evil we face.

• Joshua Morris, HVAC/plumbing design engineer for a small firm in Gwinnett who lives in Gainesville

As refugees from oppression, our Founders prudently ensured the right to keep and bear arms among the new nation's fundamental freedoms. To this moment, nobody wants the firearms of responsible citizens. In fact, gun owners are among the strongest advocates of preventing mass murder. The Merchants of Fear, however, cultivate the idea that lessening the murders of little kids, moms, dads, friends is somehow the same as taking the firearms out of every gun safe in America.Generally, we are not a fearful people. We are proud to be responsible gun owners; we respect and admire our law enforcement professionals. We recognize that, sadly, there are killers among us and believe they should be investigative subjects to the extent possible.The Las Vegas monster complied with the laws now on the books. Then he murdered 58 people. He grievously wounded hundreds more.Our obligation, as law-abiding citizens of a nation ruled by law, is to implement every conceivable measure that preserves our Second Amendment rights without betraying our unalienable rights to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. Surely that begins with limiting bump stocks to professional warriors.

• Maureen Allen, freelance copy writer who lives in Blairsville

It is amazing that such a thing would even be allowed for civilian use, though not surprising given some lawmakers’ complete refusal to place any restriction on the Second Amendment. There is no reason why weapons capable of wreaking such havoc as in Las Vegas should be allowed for civilian use. Firing a weapon more rapidly and less accurately is not useful for hunting, sport shooting or self-defense and only leads to greater collateral damage. If we allow these kinds of weapons based only on the wording of a 200-plus-year-old document, why not explosives? Bombs are arms after all! Or why not poisons, like cyanide or mustard gas?

• Dean Walton, elected member of the Carroll County Democratic Committee who lives in Carrollton

Many studies have been done using available statistics on gun violence which indicate that the availability of guns in the general public does nothing but add to the risk of being shot. Automatic guns were developed for one purpose by the military, and that is to shoot as many human beings as possible in the shortest amount of time. Clearly, this application is inappropriate in the public arena, and appropriately, automatic weapons were made illegal by Congress. From what I have read, bump stocks make a legal weapon illegal by modifying them into automatic weapons. I’m optimistic that Congress will see this for what it is and make them illegal as well.

• Micki Gonzalez, A musician who lives in Tucker

Appliances that turn weapons into assault weapons should be banned from sale. Selling those items to people who want to harm our citizens makes it too easy to do so.

• Roberta Cromlish, a retired nurse who lives in Stone Mountain

I absolutely believe that bump stocks and any modifications to make a semiautomatic weapon fire automatically should be banned to the general public. There needs to be tighter control on who is purchasing a firearm and whether or not they are adequately trained. The current system just allows for the average Joe to purchase a firearm with no prior training, putting himself, his family and everyone around him at risk, not necessarily because of bad intentions but because of lack of expertise.

• Nader Wahba, A business owner who is from Cairo, Egypt and lives in Atlanta

Anything that turns a regular gun into a military-style gun should be banned! This altered gun becomes even more dangerous to the public as well as law enforcement.

• Laura Register volunteers for the Ga Campaign for Adolescent Power and Potential and is an elected member of the Grady County Board of Education who lives in Cairo

To set the stage, I am a supporter of the Second Amendment and have a concealed carry permit. However, there has to be a limit to what reasonable citizens agree was meant by the Founding Fathers. Bump stocks and similar items such as high-capacity (more than 30 rounds) magazines just are not necessary to enjoy hunting, target shooting or other aspects of the hobby. Bump stocks in particular are designed to circumvent a legal ban on automatic weapons. If automatic weapons are illegal, then it just is not logical to sell a product that can be purchased on the open market and can be used to circumvent that ban.

• Randy Sanford, retired from the carpet industry and lives in Dalton

Since this was approved under the prior administration, this is the first time that the bump stock has been used in a horrific crime upon humanity. Some say that mimics the effects of a machine gun or a true assault rifle. This is somewhat true, but the biggest drawback to this device is it does not ensure accuracy. The shooter in Las Vegas had the unfortunate luxury in shooting a cluster of people in a confined space. I oppose any ban initiated by Congress but support the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in reviewing it as well as its other regulations to ensure that it is staying true to the Second Amendment.

• Mike Steele, a farmer from Chattanooga

I am a gun enthusiast and support legal, safe ownership of nonmilitary-style weapons. So I feel the bump stock should be banned, immediately, as many people are now buying them in fear of such a ban. A citizen does not need a device like this, ever.

• Randy Todd, a retiree who lives in Newnan