WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General Jeff Sessions says Justice Department officials think they can ban rapid-fire bump stock devices without action from Congress.
Sessions said Tuesday the department believes gun accessories like the ones used in last year’s Las Vegas massacre can be banned through the regulatory process. It comes after President Donald Trump ordered the Justice Department to work toward banning the devices, which allow semi-automatic rifles to mimic machine guns.
ATF officials have previously said they can’t ban the devices unless Congress amends existing law or passes a new one. ATF approved the devices in 2010, finding they didn’t amount to machine guns, which are prohibited under federal law.
Sessions says “we’ve had to deal with previous ATF legal opinions,” but Justice officials are forging ahead toward a ban.
