Republican Rep. Carlos Curbelo Introduces Gun Control Bill for Bump Stocks

Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R-FL)  put forward a gun control bill Tuesday designed to ban the manufacture, sale, or possession of bump stock accessories in the United States.

Breitbart News reported that Barack Obama’s ATF approved bump stocks for sale because they are accessories, not conversion devices. In other words, they do not convert a semiautomatic into an automatic. Curbelo gets around this with legislation that bans accessories that “increase the rate of fire of a semiautomatic 16 rifle but [do] not convert” it into an automatic.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) has introduced a bill with very similar language, and Breitbart News reported that the breadth of the ban means it will outlaw bump stocks, trigger cranks, and so much more.

Curbelo’s bill, which is yet to be titled, focuses on accessories that speed the rate of fire for a semiautomatic without turning it into a fully automatic weapon. The language is broad and all-encompassing: “[The bill will] prohibit the manufacture, possession, or transfer of any part or combination of parts that is designed and functions to increase the rate of fire of a semiautomatic rifle but does not convert the semiautomatic rifle into a machinegun, and for other purposes.”

As Breitbart News has reported, the same effect one gets from a bump stock can be duplicated with nothing but the human finger and a belt loop. Will Curbelo ban belt loops too?

Or will he just ban fingers, which is all Paul Nehlen needs to make his AR fire rapidly.

The focus on a bump stocks is just a distraction, because you can achieve the same effect with your finger. This is why Rep. Thomas (R-KY) tweeted:

Proposed "bump fire stock" ban is a red herring that would lead to ban of other firearms and accessories. See videohttps://t.co/e47eg9QcPN

— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) October 5, 2017

Cuberlo is one of 11 Republican politicians Breitbart News called out for being open to gun control. So far, none of the other Republicans have signed on to his proposal. Let us hope it stays that way.

AWR Hawkins is the Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and host of Bullets with AWR Hawkins, a Breitbart News podcast. He is also the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.