How Bump Stocks Work (and Why You Should Care)

[wally]

I have both a bump-stock and an NFA registered Thompson Sub-machine gun. We like the sound of Freedom! Basically our only use of them is to "turn money into noise" on the 4th of July and other special occasions. Since I reload, its cost competitive with setting off fireworks.

The biggest advantage of the bump-fire stock is it don't matter if something breaks -- cheap and easy to replace, replacing the Tommy Gun would cost as much a decent used car. Both always put a smile on everyone's faces.

Neither of these are very practical as its difficult to near impossible for most people to find a safe place to shoot them, but that is no reason to ban them!

 

[hdwhit]

Tommygunn wrote:
IMHO, it will be very important how any law banning devices is worded.

I wholeheartedly agree.

Unfortunately, the people likely to be drafting the bill are going to be the same clowns who got their law degrees by sending in a self-addressed-stamped-envelope to a diploma mill. And you can expect the same "success" out of their efforts that you saw in other special-purpose bills they drafted, such as the Defense of Marriage Act.

 

[ponchh]

Yes, we can loose this device from circulation. No problemo.

I can best that. Why not outlaw all guns inside the city limits, that's where they are killing each other as fast they can reload. Wait that might effect you and what you want. Would not effect me so no problemo.

 

[CLP]

I disagree that all semi autos are capable of bump firing. I have tried it with more than 1 .22lr and had no luck. It does require enough recoil to move the rifle far enough to complete the entire trigger cycle. That is why bump stocks are currently legal. The trigger is still pulled each time a round is fired. One pull, one bullet fired. Still SEMI auto.

You're trigger pull is probably too heavy or 22LR too light.
Lighten the trigger pull, increase the recoil, and you can bump fire any semi-auto.
You can make a bump stock for a Glock with a 1"x4" and a 1" dowel. Or you can bump it from your belt loop. 1911s too. Any semi-auto. The OP makes a good point. Regardless that bump stocks or bump firing is nothing more than a fun, but ammo-wasting novelty, to ban the stocks opens up a direct line to ban semi-autos which is their real goal IMO.

 

[CLP]

They put machineguns into a different class and the bump stocks are not machineguns, same as a hand crank on a semiauto or Gatling gun isn’t a machinegun.

Put a spring in there or get a piece of string and loop it like this and you have turned a semiauto into a machine gun.

View attachment 779756

It’s prety simple right now, start making laws about rate of fire and someone with a fast finger is going to become a felon.

We need to ban string too.

 

[barnbwt]

I wholeheartedly agree.

Unfortunately, the people likely to be drafting the bill are going to be the same clowns who got their law degrees by sending in a self-addressed-stamped-envelope to a diploma mill. And you can expect the same "success" out of their efforts that you saw in other special-purpose bills they drafted, such as the Defense of Marriage Act.

It will be written by people using terms like "fully semi-automatic"

Well, actually, there will be no bill. We're doing this extra-legislatively through regulation alone, if you believe our president. Oddly enough, it sounds like, of all people, the ATF may be giving some push-back on this one behind closed doors (after all, they're the ones who will look like fools defending it in court)

 

[barnbwt]

Regardless that bump stocks or bump firing is nothing more than a fun, but ammo-wasting novelty, to ban the stocks opens up a direct line to ban semi-autos which is their real goal IMO.

I'd say it's proven to be effective enough, and rather naive at this point to argue otherwise. When the guys paired the technique with bipods is where you actually could obtain some legitimate utility over plain rapid fire (especially as higher-capacity mags like D60's or Surefire 100's have become available)

Denigrating bump fire isn't really helpful to the point I'm trying to make about semi-autos, and frankly, the exact statement you made applies to any kind of 'uncontrolled mag dump' which of course is possible with every single repeating firearm (even revolvers and lever actions). It's very similar to the old Fuddy "I support it, but it really isn't useful for hunting" refrains from the AWB era. It's important to hone our arguments so we do not weaken them in passing with careless statements or opinions.