Senator Hoylman Submits Public Comment in Support of Bump Stock Ban Amid Federal, State Inaction

Today, Senator Hoylman submitted a public comment to the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosive Devices (ATF) urging the Trump administration to act on their promise to ban bump-stock style devices. Since the Las Vegas shooting last October, ten states have passed legislation banning bump-stock devices. 

The Senator's comment can be read in full below
 

June 27, 2018

Thank you to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) under the Department of Justice for the opportunity to submit public comments on the proposed regulations to clarify that bump fire stocks, slide-fire devices, and bump-stock-type devices are machineguns as defined by the National Firearms Act of 1934 and the Gun Control Act of 1968 (docket number ATF 2017R-22). As a New York State Senator representing much of the heart of Manhattan, I stand in strong support of the proposed regulations and urge ATF to adopt them swiftly. There is no justifiable or lawful reason to own these devices.

On October 1, 2017 Stephen Paddock committed the worst shooting in modern American history by firing more than 1,100 rounds into a concert crowd on the Las Vegas strip, killing 58 people and wounding more than 800 others in just minutes. He was able to do this by using bump stocks to convert his semiautomatic weapons into machineguns.

Following this event, I learned that in New York it is illegal to modify a firearm or weapon in such a way that it effectively becomes an automatic weapon. However, devices like bump stocks are not illegal in New York per se. As a result, I introduced legislation in the New York State Senate (S.6902)1 that would add possession of an accessory to accelerate the firing of rate of asemiautomatic weapon to the class D felony of criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree, as well as prohibit the transportation, shipment, or sale of such accessories in New York. Unfortunately, the legislation is not moving because of the belief that the federal government will act to ban bump stocks and similar devices. It is thus imperative to the safety of our communities that ATF act to re-classify bump stocks.

Since the shooting in Las Vegas, reports show that suppliers are quickly selling out of bump stocks. This once little-known mechanism is increasingly likely to be used in a horrificmass shooting again due to the notoriety of this instrument following the Paddock mass shooting. It is no surprise that more than eight in ten Americans support a ban on bump stocks.2

Earlier this year, I tested the ease of buying such a device in New York. With a quick Google search, less than $200, and under 15 minutes, I was able to purchase a bump stock from manufacturer Slide Fire Solutions and have it sent directly to my door within a week. I was sickened by how easily someone could obtain a killing machine. See the attached Daily News article for more information.3

I urge ATF to finalize its proposed rule in a manner that would render them permanently inoperable. Manufacturers should not be able to circumvent federal law by creating devices that convert guns into fully-automatic weapons, which have long been outlawed on the federal level. As long as these devices are freely sold and possessed they remain a threat to the public at large.

Thank you for your consideration.