OLYMPIA — A Washington state Senate panel has approved a bill that would ban trigger devices that allow semi-automatic rifles to fire more rapidly, similar to the ones used in the Las Vegas mass shooting.
The Spokesman-Review reports the Law and Justice Committee approved the bill after rejecting a Republican bid to allow them to be sold if the purchaser passes a federal firearms background check.
The devices are known as bump stocks or bump-fire stocks.
They were used to increase the firing rate of some rifles used by shooter Stephen Paddock last year in Las Vegas.
Washington Republican Sen. Mike Padden says the Las Vegas shooting was “horrific,” but preventing future events might be better addressed through improved mental health programs.
The devices were originally designed to help shooters with disabilities.
