Vermont Police Demand Gun Owners Turn In Bump Stocks Immediately

Ever since the horrific events in Las Vegas almost a year ago, bump stocks have become the bane of anti-gunners’ existence. They’ve campaigned against them left and right, despite them having been legal for years and precisely one crime having been committed with them, but none of that matters.

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After Vegas, a handful of states passed laws banning the devices in typical knee-jerk fashion.

Now, one of them is demanding those who purchased bump stocks to turn them in immediately.

Authorities are not offering to pay for the now-banned devices, but those caught with them could risk up to one year in prison and $1,000 in fines.

With Vermont’s new law banning the sale and possession of bump stock is set to go into effect Oct. 1, the State Police announced Monday that they will offer an anonymous collection program for the devices.

“In compliance with that law, the Vermont State Police will allow members of the public to voluntarily surrender their bump-fire stocks anonymously at any of the 10 VSP barracks in the state,” Capt. Timothy Clouatre said in a release. “People may turn in the devices during regular business hours of 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.”

The devices were outlawed in the state after lawmakers approved S.55, and sent it to Republican Gov. Phil Scott to sign in April. The sweeping anti-gun law placed a limit on magazine capacity for handguns and rifles, upped the age to buy all guns in the state to 21, and outlawed bump stocks and similar devices. Those who have the devices after the law takes effect in October will be liable to as much as a year in prison and a $1,000 fine. There is no path to legal ownership and no reimbursement program for the forfeited property.

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Good luck seeing them all.

Because bump stocks weren’t considered firearms, there are no records kept of who purchased them. Gun stores can’t comb through 4473s and look for who bought them so they can hand this information over to law enforcement. There’s no way for Vermont to know just who bought what and when.

So they’re having to use the honor system.

There’s a problem with this, though, and it’s not a difficult one to foresee. Namely that the people most likely to use the bump stock illegally are also people that aren’t likely to comply with a demand to turn in bump stocks. In other words, it’ll take bump stocks from the people who aren’t a problem while likely leaving them in the hands of people who are.

Just like all other gun control measures.

If the honor system is good enough to collect bump stocks, then why is a bump stock ban even necessary? Well, it’s not. Like I said, before Las Vegas, there had been no crimes committed with them. Since Las Vegas, there have been no crimes committed with them. In almost a year, no one has used a bump stock in an illegal manner that I can recall, despite the whole world seeing the horrors unleashed with one.

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It’s almost like they’re not the threat the anti-gunners claim they are.

For folks in Vermont who have bump stocks, I’m not going to tell you to hold onto your bump stocks. I can’t advise you to do anything illegal. But I can say that if you go Molon Labe over this one, I’m sure not going to blame you either. Yes, I believe in following the law, but I certainly understand making a stand on principle as well.

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