Senator Polehanki introduces bill to ban bump stocks to protect Michigan residents from gun violence

LANSING, Michigan (June 25, 2024) — Today, Senator Dayna Polehanki (D-Livonia) introduced Senate Bill 942, which would ban the manufacture, sale, and possession of bump stocks in the state of Michigan. Bump stocks are devices designed to significantly increase a weapon’s rate of fire, and they are designed to transform semi-automatic firearms into machine guns in a matter of minutes.

In 2017, the largest and deadliest mass shooting in our country’s history claimed the lives of over 60 concertgoers and left hundreds more seriously injured after a lone gunman opened fire in a hotel room in Las Vegas, Nevada over 1,000 shots in just 11 minutes with rifles modified with bump stocks.

As a result, the Trump administration used its powers in 2018 to Ban on bump stocks at the federal level. But almost two weeks ago, in Garland v. Cargill With its decision, the United States Supreme Court ruled that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives exceeded its authority by banning bump stocks. As a result, the bump stocks used in the nation’s deadliest mass shooting are now legal in states like Michigan that don’t already have existing protections.

“Within minutes of the Cargill decision being announced, I knew we had to act at the state level to protect our communities from further senseless gun violence,” the senator said. Polehanki“Here in Michigan, it is a matter of life and death that we join the 16 other states that ban deadly bump stocks and keep these dangerous devices away from Michigan residents. Bump stocks, which can turn firearms into illegal, destructive weapons of war, should never have a place in our communities.”

Bump stocks are particularly attractive to gunmen and other criminals, and they have been used in numerous shootings across the country because they allow guns up to 800 shots per minute. The devices can also be small and simple in design, making them easy to manufacture or even 3D print.

Senate Bill 942 has been referred to the Senate Committee on Civil Rights, Judiciary, and Public Safety for further consideration.