A collection of bump stocks sit in a box at the Washington State Patrol offices in Vancouver March 25. The next day a federal ban on the devices went into effect. Prior to that, the state had OK’d using $150,000 in funds to buy back devices, with nearly 100 of the 122 turned in at Vancouver receiving $150 for their equipment.
The nationwide ban on bump stocks went into effect last week and in Washington a $150,000 buyback program met its goal, running out of funds during two weekends of returns.
Effective March 26, a federal ban on bump stocks began which prohibits ownership of the device that allows for firing of a semiautomatic rifle with a single pull of the trigger, mimicking that of a fully-automatic weapon.
The ban stems from a February 2018 memo from President Donald Trump instructing the U.S. Attorney General “to dedicate all available resources to… propose for notice and comment a rule banning all devices that turn legal weapons into machineguns,” as stated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) in information about the ban.
Trump’s memo came just days after the Feb. 14 shooting in Parkland, Florida where a gunman opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, killing 17 students and staff. Following the memo, the Department of Justice reviewed more than 186,000 comments and determined that the definition of “machine gun” as found in prior federal laws included firearms with bump stock devices.
In December then-acting U.S. Attorney General Matthew Whittaker gave the official ruling, banning bump stocks beginning last month. Washington State had a ban prior, having voted to make the devices illegal last year.
Issues finding the funds for a buyback program pushed the dates of the events until right before the federal deadline, The Daily Herald newspaper out if Everett reported. Buybacks happened at the offices of each of the Washington State Patrol’s districts on March 18-19 and 24-25, with the total return exceeding the amount of money set aside to buy them.
Such was the case locally.
WSP Public Information Officer for Southwest Washington and Woodland Mayor Will Finn announced that 122 of the devices were returned at the Vancouver patrol offices. Of those returned, 96 each received $150.
With the devices illegal, the ATF has provided guidance for those wishing to dispose of their bump stocks. The bureau’s website on the devices (atf.gov/rules-and-regulations/bump-stocks) provides example diagrams where destruction needed to occur to render the stocks inoperable, though generally, it suggested “crushing, melting or shredding the bump stock” to meet that end.
Alternatively, owners can “abandon” their bump stocks at their nearest ATF office, though they are asked to make an appointment beforehand.
For Clark County, the closest field office is at 1201 NE Lloyd Blvd. in Portland (phone number: (503) 331-7820.)
