© 2025 Connecticut Public

FCC Public Inspection Files:
WEDH · WEDN · WEDW · WEDY
WEDW-FM · WNPR · WPKT · WRLI-FM
Public Files Contact · ATSC 3.0 FAQ
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

South Carolina City Bans Gun Bump Stock Use, Connecticut May Follow

WSAR - Own work/creative commons

Columbia, South Carolina is one of the first cities to ban the use of gun bump stocks - an attachment that enables a semiautomatic rifle to fire faster. 

The measure follows the deadly shooting in Las Vegas, where a gunman used a firearm equipped with a bump stock. He killed 58 people and injured hundreds more. Connecticut is also expected to take up the issue.

Currently bump stocks are not banned under federal law and they’re not specifically listed in Connecticut’s gun legislation.

State Representative Matt Lesser is hoping to change that.

"Bump stocks were only recently invented and they do not have any valid lawful purpose," Lesser said. "They have no military purpose. They have no civilian purpose. They have no hunting or target shooting purpose. They didn’t exist, were not listed in our law, and were not in common use so we should go back and clarify that they have no purpose in Connecticut and don’t belong here."

Lesser said he is happy to see Columbia, South Carolina taking the lead on banning bump stocks.

“I think it shows that support for common sense laws on these issues isn’t just a New England phenomenon, but it spans the entire country including in the Deep South,” Lesser said.

Connecticut would have likely taken up the issue sooner, but, Lesser said, it didn’t line up with the legislative session, which starts up again in February.

Lori Connecticut Public's Morning Edition host.

Fund the Facts

You just read trusted, local journalism that’s free for everyone, thanks to donors like you.

If that matters to you, now is the time to give. Join the 50,000+ members powering honest reporting and a more connected — and civil! — Connecticut.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

Fund the Facts

You just read trusted, local journalism that’s free for everyone, thanks to donors like you.

If that matters to you, now is the time to give. Join the 50,000+ members powering honest reporting and a more connected — and civil! — Connecticut.