Trump pushes ban on bump stocks as debate on gun rights continues

Students from Washington local high schools demonstrate for stricter gun control outside the White House in Washington D.C., the United States, on Feb. 21, 2018. U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he has recommended that "bump stocks", devices that enable semi-automatic weapons to fire hundreds of rounds per minute, be banned, while debates on gun rights continue across the country. (Xinhua/Ting Shen)

WASHINGTON, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he has recommended that "bump stocks", devices that enable semi-automatic weapons to fire hundreds of rounds per minute, be banned, while debates on gun rights continue across the country.

Speaking at the White House, Trump said he has signed a memorandum directing Attorney General Jeff Sessions to propose regulations that ban all devices that turn legal weapons into machine guns.

"I expect these regulations to be finalized very soon," he said.

The move was a response to the massacre in Las Vegas last October, where professional gambler Stephen Paddock killed 58 people and wounded hundreds of others with rifles fitted with bump stocks.

Trump said after the deadly shooting, he directed Sessions to clarify that certain bump stock devices, like the one used in Las Vegas, are illegal under the current law.

The U.S. Justice Department said Tuesday it "understands this is a priority for the president and has acted quickly to move through the rule-making process."

The powerful National Rifle Association (NRA) said it won't comment on the proposed ban until an actual regulation is published with specifics.

"The NRA's stance on this issue has not changed," a spokesperson said. "Banning semi-automatic firearms and accessories has been shown time and again to not prevent criminal activity and simply punishes the law-abiding for the criminal acts of others."

Despite the president's move, Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein doubled down on legislation banning the devices.

"If you want these devices off the street, call congressional Republicans and tell them to stop blocking our bill," Feinstein said in a statement Tuesday. She had introduced a bill to ban bump stocks as well as similar devices last year.

According to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll, more than six in 10 Americans fault Congress and the president for not doing enough to prevent mass shooting.

Trump's order came a week after a high school shooting in Parkland, Florida, where 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz killed 17 people with a rifle that he had purchased legally.

U.S. federal laws state that people must be at least 21 years old to buy a handgun from a licensed dealer, but they have to be only 18 to purchase a rifle or shotgun.

The Florida shooting, the second deadliest at a public school in U.S. history, has rekindled a drive for stricter firearms control.

Teenage survivors of the school shooting have called for rallies in Washington and across the country next month in support of tighter restrictions on access to guns.

"I am not going back to school until lawmakers and the president change this law," said Tyra Hemans, a 12th-grade student of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, where the shooting occurred.

"Three people I looked to for advice and courage are gone but never forgotten, and for them, I am going to our state capital to tell lawmakers we are tired and exhausted of stupid gun laws," Hemans said.

The youth-led protest movement has attracted prominent celebrity supporters, including film star George Clooney, Hollywood director Steven Spielberg, and media mogul Oprah Winfrey.