New MI Bill Could Ban Bump Stocks

MICHIGAN — A Michigan senator is looking to ban bump stocks across the state. Bump stocks are used to significantly increase a gun’s rate of fire, effectively turning the weapon into a machine gun.

Dayna Polehanki (D-Livonia), on Tuesday introduced the bill, which would prohibit the manufacture, sale, and possession of bump stocks in Michigan. The bill comes less than two weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a federal ruling banning bump stocks.

Polehanki noted the court's decision to strike down the law focused on whether federal law was interpreted appropriately by a federal agency, not the right to bear arms, meaning she believes state legislators have the power to ban the weapon accessory.

"Within minutes after the Cargill decision came through, I knew that we needed to act at the state level to protect our communities from further senseless gun violence," Polehanki said. "Here in Michigan, it’s a life-or-death matter that we join the 16 other states with policies that ban deadly bump stocks and keep these dangerous devices out of the hands of Michigan residents. Bump stocks that can turn firearms into illegal, destructive weapons of war should never have a place in our communities."

Fifteen states and the District of Columbia already have their own bans on bump stocks, according to the Associated Press.

The Trump administration banned bump stocks in 2018, a year after a shooter used rifles modified with bump stocks to kill 60 people and wound hundreds at a 2017 concert in Las Vegas, the largest and deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history.

The high court ruled 6-3 earlier this month that the Trump administration overstepped when it changed course from predecessors, according to the Associated Press.

The Michigan bill will now move to the Senate Committee on Civil Rights, Judiciary and Public Safety. It's the latest gun reform bill led by a Democratic coalition with total control in Lansing. Red-flags laws and safe storage laws took effect earlier this year across Michigan.