MICHIGAN CHAPTERS OF STUDENTS DEMAND ACTION, MOMS DEMAND ACTION APPLAUD INTRODUCTION OF SB942 TO BAN BUMP STOCKS 

Just Two Weeks After a Reckless SCOTUS Ruling Struck Down an ATF Rule Prohibiting  the Production, Sale, and Possession of Bump Stocks, Michiganders are Calling for Legislation to Ban the Devices Designed and Intended to Convert Semi-Automatic Firearms into Machine Guns

LANSING, MI. – The Michigan chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, both part of Everytown for Gun Safety’s grassroots network, released the following statement applauding the introduction of the bill SB942 by Senator Polehanki, that would ban bump stocks statewide.

Bump stocks are replacement shoulder stocks for semi-automatic AR- and AK-style rifles – effectively turning rifles into machine guns – that harness the gun’s recoil to increase its rate of fire to 800 rounds per minute. They were designed to skirt the law and mimic automatic gunfire. In 2017, Americans witnessed just how deadly guns equipped with bump stocks can be when a gunman, wielding 14 rifles outfitted with bump stocks, killed 60 people and wounded at least 411 more at the Las Vegas Route 91 Harvest Festival.

“We applaud Senator Polehanki and our Democrat lawmakers for their consistent efforts to ensure our communities are free from gun violence across the state,” said Ann Anderson, a volunteer with the Michigan Chapter of Moms Demand Action. “Following the Supreme Court’s failure to uphold this safety measure across the country, we are counting on our state lawmakers to protect us and this bill introduction is a key step towards achieving just that.”

Two weeks ago, the United States Supreme Court struck down a rule issued by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to prohibit the production, sale, and possession of bump stocks. As a result, the deadly bump stocks used in our nation’s deadliest mass shooting are once again legal in a majority of states across the country. Any states that do not have their own laws on the books restricting bump stocks will immediately find that bump stocks are legal—and people can easily turn assault weapons into machine guns. With this decision, most protections against bump stocks have completely disappeared, with as many as 35 states immediately impacted, including Michigan.

At the federal level, Representative Kildee (D-MI) alongside Representatives Titus (D-NV), Fitzpatrick (R-PA) have introduced bipartisan legislation, the Closing the Bump Stock Loophole Act, in the House of Representatives that will once again prohibit the sale of bump stocks and other devices that allow semi-automatic firearms to increase their rate of fire. The bill has more than 130 cosponsors. At the state level, Senator Polehanki’s bill would help to build a safer Michigan future from gun violence.

In an average year, 1,406 people die and 2,983 are wounded by guns in Michigan. Guns are the leading cause of death among children and teens in Michigan, and an average of 108 children and teens die by guns every year, of which 32% of these deaths are suicides and 65% are homicides. Gun violence in Michigan costs $1,683 per person each year. Gun deaths and injuries cost Michigan $16.8 billion each year, of which $380.5 million is paid by taxpayers. More information about gun violence in Michigan is available here.