HORN LAKE, Miss. — Las Vegas shooter Stephen Paddock reportedly made his rampage even more deadly by using a device that can turn a semi-automatic rifle into one that behaves almost exactly like a fully automatic rifle.
But what is it, and is it legal?
It’s called a bump stock, and a typical one costs around $100.
Bull Frog Corner Pawn and Gun owner Danny Metcalf told WREG how it works. The device attaches to the back of a semi-automatic rifle and uses recoil to help the weapon fire rapidly as the user holds the trigger down.
“When you’re shooting it you push forward here [front part of rifle] and it will, the pressure will bring it back and forth,” Metcalf says.
Metcalf says it takes about 20 minutes to install it, and here’s the thing: bump stocks, unlike guns, aren’t regulated. There’s no background check to buy one, and you don’t have to register it like you would a fully automatic weapon.
“You don’t have to pass nothing with this. Just buy it, walk out the door,” Metcalf says.
It’s something Congress may consider changing, but Metcalf doesn’t think that would do any good. He says a bump stock is nothing without a rifle to attach it to.
“So, regulating this wouldn’t be no good, wouldn’t stop nothing,” Metcalf says.
One side of a debate that’s likely to continue for a long time.