South Carolina capital city bans bump stock rifle attachment

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina’s capital city has approved a ban on the use of the “bump stock” devices that allow semi-automatic weapons to mimic fully automatic guns.

The measure was approved by Columbia City Council on Tuesday night. Mayor Steve Benjamin has said he thinks that Columbia is the first city to ban the use of bump stocks.

The ordinance makes it a misdemeanor to use bump stocks or a separate device called a “trigger crank,” both of which can be attached to guns to increase their rate of fire. A person could legally possess a bump stock if it’s not connected to a gun and stored in a separate case.

The gunman in the Las Vegas shootings in October used bump stocks on his guns, killing dozens of people.