Three out of four members of Maine’s congressional delegation favor a ban on “bump stocks,” such as the device used by the Las Vegas gunman, which turn semi-automatic weapons into rapid-fire guns.

Independent U.S. Sen. Angus King, Republican U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin and Democratic U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree all favor bans.

A representative for Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins said the senator believes the use of bump stocks “warrants further examination.”

Debate over the devices comes after 58 people were killed and nearly 500 people were injured during a Las Vegas music festival on Oct. 1.

Pingree, who represents Maine’s 1st District, is a cosponsor of a bill by Rep. David Cicilline, D-R.I., and Rep. Dina Titus, D-Nev., to ban bump stocks. She also said such a ban alone is not enough.

“Four out of five Americans support universal background checks, so why won’t Congress listen?” Chellie said in a statement on her website.

Advertisement

King said in a statement that bump stocks shouldn’t have been legalized.

“While we can’t legislate our way out of all gun violence, I am encouraged there are bipartisan voices talking about curbing the use of bump stocks. If we can’t buy a fully automatic weapon without a special license, it seems sensible to me that a device modifying semi-automatics so that they have the same effect should be restricted as well,” he said. The bump stock “allowed this guy to shoot 600, 700 rounds a minute rather than 60 and have to stop and reload,” King said in a CNN interview. “So it was an integral part of this tragedy, and it was legalized seven years ago. It shouldn’t have been.”

A spokesman for Poliquin said the congressman thinks the bump stock modification should be “more closely regulated.”

“Yes, the congressman believes it’s important to make sure that the ‘bump stock’ modification, which changes a legal firearm to operate similarly to an illegal one, is more closely regulated, either through changes in regulation by the federal government or by new legislation,” said Poliquin spokesman Brendan Conley in a written statement Monday, the Sun Journal reported.


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.