The Las Vegas gunman possessed a little-known device called a "bump stock" that was not widely sold — until now.
Originally created with the idea of making it easier for people with disabilities to shoot a gun, the attachments allow a semi-automatic rifle to mimic a fully automatic weapon by unleashing an entire large magazine in seconds. Now the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history has drawn attention to the devices, which critics say flout federal restrictions on automatic guns.
Stocks lasted less than a decade. The government gave its seal of approval to sell them in 2010 after finding that they did not violate federal law.
The apparatus basically replaces the shoulder rest of the firearm with a "support step" that covers the opening of the trigger. Holding the gun in one hand and pushing forward on the gun with the other, the finger of the gunner comes into contact with the trigger. The recoil then causes the firearm to move forward and back several times, "beating" the trigger against the finger.
Technically, this means that the finger pulls the trigger for each shot turned, keeping the gun slightly semi-automatic. Rapid fire does not necessarily make the weapon more lethal - much of it depends on the type of ammunition used. But this allows the person who pulls the weapon to get rid of it more quickly.
We do not know how many were sold. The industry leader, Slide Force, did not return messages for comment. But the Facebook page of the company Abilene, Texas, is filled with videos that exalt its features, including the one in which a woman has gushed out: "It's so simple because, once you've slid it to the" and you've leaned, it's triggered. In another video, a man triggers 58 rounds to celebrate his 58th birthday in just 12 seconds.
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Sales of firearms or specific accessories seem to skip after each high-profile shot. This will likely recur with hump stocks, said Dr. Garen Wintemute, director of the Violence Prevention Research Program at the University of California, Davis.
"People will go, 'Oh geez, I should have one.' The other is that people will be concerned about efforts to ban them, "Wintemute said.
Manufacturers all stocks, some of which sell for less than $ 200, offer a simple and affordable alternative to automatic weapons without the hassle of rigorous background checks and other restrictions.
Ed Turner, a former police officer who owns a gun store in Stockbridge, Georgia, said he already saw a race on stocks since shooting. He said he would be surprised if he had sold two of them over the last decade, but now he is unable to find everything available even at wholesalers.
Jay Wallace, the owner of Adventure Outdoors in Smyrna, Georgia, said shortly after most of his customers bought one, "the novelty disappears and they take it and it stays in a closet."
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While stocks allow a weapon to quickly spray bullets, gun experts say they also create such a shock that accuracy is affected. It does not matter to gun owners who just want the thrill to shoot with one, or for those who are bent on destruction. Stephen Paddock, the 64-year-old armed man, fired hundreds of rounds from his room on the 32nd floor at the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino at an outdoor music festival.
He had 23 rifles in the room. The authorities have found stocks of hump attached to 12 weapons, said the special agent in charge of the Office of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms Jill Schneider.
In the house of Paddock, the authorities found 19 other firearms, explosives and thousands of ammunition. Several pounds of ammonium nitrate, a fertilizer that can be turned into explosives, were in his car, authorities said.
The filming has prompted some lawmakers to ban the ban on stocks. California Senator Diane Feinstein, a Democrat, said the devices can allow a gun to shoot 400 to 800 rpm and "inflict absolute carnage."
The purchase of fully automatic weapons has been considerably restricted in the United States since the 1930s. The National Firearms Act was amended in 1986 to prohibit the transfer or possession of machine guns by civilians, except those manufactured and registered previously.
Numerous attempts to design overhead projectiles have failed until stock markets are on the market.
Erich Pratt, executive director of Gun Owners of America, said the industry is ready to have the devices examined by lawmakers and firearms defenders. This happens regularly
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