What are 'bump stocks?'
Twelve bump stocks were found in the hotel room of the Las Vegas massacre shooter. Lawmakers, including some Republicans are concerned about their capabilities but what are they?
Days after yet another mass shooting sparked a nationwide debate on gun control and an immediate response from lawmakers, President Trump took action.
The president said Tuesday he signed an order directing the Justice Department to ban "bump stocks" and other gun modifiers that make semi-automatic firearms fire faster.
"We must move past clichés and tired debates and focus on evidence-based solutions and security measures that actually work," Trump said during a ceremony to honor the 17 victims of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
Here's what you need to know about bump stocks, the devices involved in last year's Las Vegas shooting.
How do they work?
A bump stock is an attachment that allows a semi-automatic rifle to mimic a fully automatic weapon's "cyclic firing rate to mimic nearly continuous automatic fire," according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Semi-automatic rifles with bump stocks could fire hundreds of rounds per minute, according to experts.
Are they legal?
Yes. The ATF gave its seal of approval under the Obama administration in 2010.
At the time, the bureau concluded bump stocks didn't convert a semi-automatic firearm into one that is fully automatic, meaning it was not equivalent to machine guns that are regulated under the National Firearms Act, which dates back to the 1930s.
Bump stocks are currently legal under federal law. However, it is illegal for U.S. citizens to own fully automatic firearms produced after May 19, 1986, The New York Times reported.
“The classification of these devices depends on whether they mechanically alter the function of the firearm to fire fully automatic,” Jill Snyder, a special agent in charge at the ATF, told The Times. “Bump-fire stocks, while simulating automatic fire, do not actually alter the firearm to fire automatically, making them legal under current federal law.”
But since the deadly Las Vegas shooting, states and cities have increasingly pushed for legislation to ban the devices.
Massachusetts became the first state to pass legislation banning the device after the October incident. The state law, which went into effect Feb. 1, prohibits possession of the device under all circumstances. It also bans the possession of trigger cranks.
New Jersey, as well as large cities such as Denver and Columbia, South Carolina, also have enacted laws prohibiting the sale and possession of bump stocks.
California law already prohibited the sale of bump stocks.
The National Rifle Association (NRA) even called for an immediate review of bump stocks after the Vegas shooting.
"The NRA believes that devices designed to allow semi-automatic rifles to function like fully-automatic rifles should be subject to additional regulations," the NRA said in a statement in October.
What other actions does Trump plan to take?
In addition to signing a memo banning bump stocks and other modifiers, Trump plans to meet with students, teachers and state and local officials to discuss ways of providing additional school safety.
He has also indicated that he is open to strengthening federal background checks on gun purchases.
The White House said Trump had spoken with Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn, R-Texas, about a bipartisan bill designed to strengthen the FBI database of prohibited gun buyers.
White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders confirmed "revisions are being considered," and said, "the president is supportive of efforts to improve the federal background check system."
One main action Trump has taken on guns has been to sign a resolution blocking an Obama-era background check rule designed to keep guns out of the hands of certain mentally disabled people.
Obama's rule, which affected an estimated 75,000 people, required the Social Security Administration to forward to the Justice Department the names of certain disabled beneficiaries to be added to an FBI database of individuals ineligible to purchase a firearm.
Lucia I. Suarez Sang and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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