After their City Council voted to ban bump stocks, a device receiving mainstream attention after the Las Vegas massacre, the Denver Police Department suggested residents ‘surrender’ the devices.
That suggestion also came with a warning – you can face jail time if you don’t surrender them.
“If Denver residents are in possession of a bump stock, and would like to turn-in their bump stock to the Denver Police Department, they can do so at any Denver Police Station,” a press release from February reads. “Anyone in Denver who is charged with possessing, selling, carrying or storing a bump stock will be subjected to a fine and/or incarceration.”
Bump stocks are now illegal in #Denver. If residents are in possession of a bump stock, and would like to turn it in to the Denver Police Department, they can do so at any Denver Police Station. pic.twitter.com/L1ra9MhEjV
— Denver Police Dept. (@DenverPolice) February 16, 2018
Guess how many bump stock owners in Denver complied with the police posting? Zero.
“It’s been a month since Denver Police Department invited Denverites to turn in their bump stocks, an accessory like the one used in the Las Vegas mass shooting that increases the rate of fire of semi-automatic weapons, turning them into near-automatic weapons,” a publication called Denverite reports. “Not one has been turned over.”
Alan Kennedy-Shaffer, the Democrat behind the bump stock ban in Denver, touted his idea saying “Congress failed to act. The legislature had not acted. And I saw an opportunity for Denver to lead the charge and create the momentum that we desperately need.”
That momentum has apparently ground to a halt, as nobody is complying with the new law.
President Trump also took issue with bump stocks, saying there need to be regulations in place to ban “all devices that turn legal weapons into machine guns.”
BREAKING: President Trump says he’s directed Attorney General Sessions to propose regulations to ban “all devices that turn legal weapons into machine guns.” https://t.co/O0pXTKVqV6 pic.twitter.com/SnM7pyCiLn
— ABC News (@ABC) February 20, 2018
The Associated Press called Denver’s attempt to ban bump stocks “largely symbolic.”
The city also made it illegal to possess a magazine that fits more than 15 rounds.
Should bump stocks be illegal and should owners have to turn them over to the police? Share your thoughts below!
