U.S. President Donald Trump said on the anniversary of the 2017 Las Vegas deadly shooting that his administration is close to finalizing a regulation that would ban bump stocks, a device that can allow a gun to fire at speeds that mimic an automatic weapon.
"We're knocking out bump stocks," Trump told reporters Monday. "I've told the NRA (National Rifle Association) bump stocks are gone."
Trump's statements come as the Justice Department nears the end of a year-long process to ban the devices.
The Justice Department said Monday that a ban proposal had been sent to the Office of Management and Budget. After a review period that could last up to three months, the proposal will be published in the Federal Register, where the public may comment on it.
It would ban the manufacture, importation and possession of bump stocks. If and when it goes into effect, those who own the devices would be required to destroy them.
A police review released after the 2017 Las Vegas shooting revealed that of the 22 semi-automatic rifles gunman Stephen Paddock had in his hotel room, 14 of them were equipped with bump stocks. The attack left 58 people dead.
The National Rifle Association (NRA), which frequently advocates against legislation restricting firearms, voiced its support of regulations on bump stocks in the aftermath.
