This new bill would ban bump stocks, which let semiautomatic weapons fire even faster

AR-15 semi-automatic gun.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Sen. Diane Feinstein (D-Calif.) rolled out a new gun control bill Wednesday that would ban the sale of bump stocks, which allow semiautomatic weapons to fire faster, essentially turning a semiautomatic weapon into an automatic one. Las Vegas shooter Stephen Paddock had 12 guns equipped with bump stocks in his hotel room, The New York Times reported, allowing him to squeeze off enough rounds to kill 59 people and injure more than 520 more in roughly just 10 minutes of firing.

Feinstein was joined by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) for a news conference unveiling the bill, which already has 26 Democratic co-sponsors. Sanders pointed out that automatic weapons have been banned in the U.S. since 1986, while Feinstein called bump stocks a "loophole" and called for bipartisan support to ban them.

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Kathryn Krawczyk

Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.