RELEASE: GOA Statement on Slide Fire Ceasing Orders of Bump Stocks

April 18, 2018
For immediate release

GOA Statement on Slide Fire Ceasing Orders of Bump Stocks

Springfield, VA – Executive Director of Gun Owners of America (GOA) Erich Pratt stated the following after Slide Fire announced bump stocks orders would cease:

“It’s sad, but not surprising, that Slide Fire is closing its doors. What should surprise gun owners is that it was a Republican administration that put a gun parts maker out of business — especially since the Obama administration had refused to take such a course of action on several occasions.

“But then again, there has been so much misinformation on bump stocks. Even the news surrounding Slide Fire’s closing has consistently misconstrued bump stocks as items that can convert a semi-automatic into a machinegun. That’s just not the case.

“Gun owners should be very concerned about the future of semi-automatic rifles and should not be surprised if a future anti-gun administration uses the current ATF regulations on bump stocks to declare AR-15s to be machineguns. After all, given that the proposed ATF regulations erroneously deem the bump stock firing of an AR-15 to be ‘automatic’ fire, the AR-15 thus becomes a full automatic under those circumstances. And, under federal law, at 26 U.S.C. 5845(b), any firearm that can be ‘readily restored’ or ‘converted’ to fire automatically IS a machinegun.

“But the danger is not merely a future threat for owners of semi-automatic rifles. If ATF’s proposed regulation goes into effect, there will be up to 500,000 bump stock owners who will instantaneously be turned into felons, because they will be in possession of an unregistered machinegun.”

Erich Pratt, or another GOA spokesperson, is available for interviews. Gun Owners of America is a nonprofit lobbying organization dedicated to protecting the right to keep and bear arms without compromise. GOA represents over 1.5 million members and activists. For more information, visit GOA’s Newsroom.

— GOA —