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Bump Stock Ban Just Days Away

The federal ban on a firearm accessory commonly referred to as the “Bump Stock” is about to take place in just a few days but what does that mean for the thousands of people who legally bought these stocks and are now in a position of being possibly considered a felon? The gun owners advocacy group Gun Owners of America (www.gunowners.org) filed a lawsuit late last year to stop the proposed legislation that was made law without any legal due process. That case is still currently working its way through the court system and it doesn’t look like it will be resolved anytime soon.

Confiscation without Compensation ?

I’m not sure I remember a time in my life where there has been a case of a product that was once legally produced and sold and then suddenly deemed to be no longer be legal and it’s owners ordered to turn over that product without any due process or compensation. Some people may point to the Armsel Striker/Streetsweeper semi automatic shotgun case from 1994 as a similar case but it’s not that cut and dry.

In the case of the Striker/Streetsweeper there was a period where owners could choose to register their weapons as “destructive devices” with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives at no cost. This allowed the current owners the choice to destroy or register the shotgun, that is not the case here and no option like that has been presented.

The issue at hand is two fold, on one hand we have talked about the confiscation of legally purchased items without due process or compensation but on the other this decision by the BATFE effectively shuts down an American small business who did absolutely nothing wrong.

In June 2018, Slide Fire Inc. , the manufacturer of the bump stocks announced they were shutting down their business and liquidating remaining inventory in response to the ruling.

The Future of the Bump Stock & Executive Orders 

On many levels I am worried about the future of the bump stock and other firearms related accessories. Anytime someone uses an executive order or an “interpretation” of a regulation without due process it should be cause for concern. Today the bump stock, is in the cross hairs of the anti gun community because it’s scary to some because they believed the hype and public relations misinformation machine behind the anti gun agenda.

Many gun owners are quick to say “I don’t own one” or “I don’t see the point of it” and dismiss the situation entirely. I ask you what’s next ? What happens when someone decides you don’t “need” a muzzle brake ?, or a magnified optic greater than nine times magnification ? Maybe they go make red dot style optics illegal because it’s a “military and police” item. You think it’s that far fetched ? Go sit in the local coffee shop or store and listen, I’ve heard the very same comments from men and women at guns shows and even in my local gun shop.

What’s Next ? 

We will continue to monitor the Gun Owners of America case surrounding the bump stock legislation. Until then I would suggest that we as gun owners get active and get political. If you don’t like the National Rifle Association then don’t join in, join another gun advocacy group. Your elected legislators will listen to you if you are respectful, accurate and present logical statements in the defense of our position. Gun confiscation without due process is un-American and unacceptable. Below are some links that you can use to get involved and follow the case.

Follow the Case Here : https://gunowners.org/alert3719/

Gun Owners of America: https://gunowners.org

National Rifle Association: https://home.nra.org

Second Amendment Foundation: https://www.saf.org

FEATURE PHOTO COURTESY:www.thetruthaboutguns.com