Bump stick

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A bump stick on a semi-automatic rifle (WASR-10); the special finger rest can be seen behind the trigger

A bump stick (literally translated as "butt stock") or "rapid fire piston" is a device for semi-automatic rifles to achieve high rates of fire like with fully automatic weapons or machine guns . As of 2018, bump stocks were legal in most states in the United States. In American, firing sequences with bump stocks are called bump fire .

technology

In contrast to fully automatic rifles, with semi-automatic self-loading rifles, due to a break in the trigger system, the trigger tongue must be relieved after each shot and pulled over the pressure point again with the finger in order to fire the next shot. This movement limits the possible firing sequence, although the self-loading mechanism, which is mostly derived from military automatic weapons, would technically allow a much faster firing sequence. The modification by means of a bump stick takes place without direct intervention in the trigger and locking system of the weapon, which in itself basically remains a semi-automatic.

Technically, the buttstock of a semi-automatic rifle is exchanged, which consists of a shoulder rest and an associated pistol grip made of metal or plastic. A bump stick has a slide-like guide that allows the buttstock to move longitudinally in relation to the trigger device and the trigger guard or the entire weapon.

Animation of a bump stick when firing: The forward movement of the rifle body pulls the trigger again

In detail, the compensation of the recoil is used by the holding force of the shooter, i.e. when the rifle is pushed forward again by the body after the recoil. The trigger finger rests on the pistol grip of the bump stick and thus immediately actuates the trigger again, usually faster than would be possible with finger force. In contrast to gas pressure chargers, the energy from the ammunition is not used directly for a burst of fire, but the movement of the weapon body. If the rifle is pressed too hard against the body, the volley will end after one shot. In contrast to "real" fully automatic weapons, the shooting precision is lower, the firing frequency is less precisely timed and the use without practice is more difficult.

Semi-automatic weapons usually achieve a rate of 45 to 60 rounds per minute, with a bump stick this rate increases to 400 to 800 rounds per minute.

Legal background

With the component, which can be acquired relatively cheaply in the USA and was not subject to any sales restrictions until the end of 2018, legal regulations for the purchase of fully automatic rifles were bypassed, because only serial firing devices built into the weapon itself were prohibited. External modifications to the weapon (such as a bump stick) were permitted. Twelve rifles equipped with bump stocks were found in the attacker in Las Vegas on October 1, 2017 . After this became known, the add-on parts were in such high demand in the USA within a very short time that they were at least partially sold out because a legal ban was expected.

On March 23, 2018, US President Trump presented a draft law that equates devices that enable semi-automatic firing to a quasi-fully automatic sequence of fire, equating machine weapons and thus making them illegal. The law came into force at the end of 2018 with a 90-day transition period. During this period, gun owners had to either render these parts unusable or hand them in to government agencies by March 26, 2019. A lawsuit against the law was dismissed in the US Supreme Court on March 26, 2019. Violators can result in up to 10 years imprisonment or a fine of up to US $ 250,000.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Bump Stocks Enabled the Las Vegas Assassin Automatic Fire - Article on theguardian.com ; accessed on October 4, 2017
  2. ↑ Owning a bump stock can now get you 10 years in prison on Vice.com (Engl.); accessed on January 9, 2020
  3. ↑ Explanation and demonstration of a bump stick on CBS Evening News ; accessed on October 4, 2017
  4. ↑ Description of the problematic aspects of bump stocks - article on theguardian.com (Eng.); accessed on October 7, 2017
  5. ↑ The device used by the Las Vegas killer to massacre as many people as possible is now selling out . In: The Independent . October 4, 2017 ( independent.co.uk [accessed October 5, 2017]).
  6. ↑ Restricting US Gun Law: Trump Administration Bans "Bump Stocks". www.n-tv.de, March 24, 2018, accessed on March 24, 2018 .
  7. ↑ US Supreme Court rebuffs bid to block Trump's gun 'bump stock' ban. In: reuters.com. March 28, 2019, accessed March 29, 2019 .
  8. ↑ Bump stocks remain banned: Defeat for gun lobby in America. In: faz.net. March 29, 2019, accessed March 29, 2019 .
  9. ^ National bump stock ban starts today; violators face $ 250,000 fine, prison. In: al.com. March 29, 2019, accessed on March 29, 2019 .