Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf Backs Ban on ‘Bump Stocks' Used by Las Vegas Gunman

Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf is urging Pennsylvania lawmakers to outlaw devices known as bump stocks used in the Las Vegas mass shooting that allow semi-automatic weapons to mimic the rapid fire of an automatic weapon.

Wolf's statement on Tuesday comes on the heels of several lawmakers saying they will introduce legislation to outlaw the devices. Wolf calls them "unnecessary and dangerous."

"The massacre in Las Vegas was made worse by the shooter’s ability to fire his military-grade weapons more rapidly at concertgoers and police," Wolf said. "We can take a commonsense step to protect citizens and law enforcement by banning these unnecessary and dangerous accessories."

Democratic Reps. Madeleine Dean of Montgomery County and Dom Costa of Allegheny County and Republican Sen. Patrick Browne of Lehigh County have thus far said they will introduce legislation to ban bump stocks.

"Bipartisan legislators are rightfully sounding the alarm that these devices should not be legal in Pennsylvania," Wolf said. "Given the bipartisan nature, this should be commonsense for the General Assembly to swiftly pass to protect Pennsylvanians." 

Pennsylvania already makes it illegal to sell, use or possess machine guns, sawed-off shotguns and grenades. At the federal level, the National Rifle Association is opposing a ban on bump stocks by Congress.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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