Texas-Book-Gun Law Armed And Educated - Flipbook - Page 458
rule specifically defined bump stocks as “machine guns” under federal
law. This effectively renders all such devices illegal to possess under
federal law, since any lawful machine gun must have been in existence
and properly registered under the National Firearms Act as of May 19,
1986, decades before the bump stock was invented. In crafting the new
rule, the ATF reasoned that bump stocks allow the shooter to produce
fully automatic fire while continuously applying pressure to the
trigger. The new rule mandated that all bump stocks must be destroyed
or surrendered to the ATF by March 26, 2019. Afterward, it became
a federal felony to possess a bump stock. This crime is classified as
a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(o)—illegal possession of a machine
gun. If convicted of such a crime, you could face up to 10 years in
federal prison and up to a $250,000 fine for each bump stock in your
possession. Immediately following the passage of this rule, Second
Amendment advocacy groups and individuals across the United States
began litigation. As these cases work their way through various federal
circuit courts of appeal, this issue has a high likelihood of ultimately
being resolved by the United States Supreme Court.
E. Federal firearm suppressor law
What is a suppressor? It is just a muffler for a firearm and is legal if
all NFA requirements are met. In legal terms, a firearm suppressor is
defined in 27 CFR § 478.11 as “any device for silencing, muffling,
or diminishing the report of a portable firearm, including any
combination of parts, designed or redesigned, and intended for use
in assembling or fabricating a firearm silencer or firearm muffler,
and any part intended only for use in such assembly or fabrication.”
Firearm suppressors are very practical instruments. They are great
for hunting and recreational shooting not only because they suppress
gunshots in a way so as to not alarm other animals being hunted
nearby, but also because they lessen the impact on the shooter’s
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