Massachusetts State Police ask residents to surrender bump stocks, trigger cranks

According to Massachusetts State Police, on Thursday, Feb. 1, 2018, a state law prohibiting bump stocks and trigger cranks goes into effect.

The law defines a “bump stock” as follows: “Any device for a weapon that increases the rate of fire achievable with such weapon by using energy from the recoil of such weapon to generate a reciprocating action that facilitates repeated activation of the trigger.”

The law defines a “trigger crank” as follows: “Any device to be attached to a weapon that repeatedly activates the trigger of the weapon through the use of a lever or other part that is turned in a circular motion; provided, however, that ‘trigger crank’ shall not include any weapon initially designed or manufactured to fire through the use of a crank or lever.”

The new law, which was passed in November, makes it illegal to possess bump stocks or trigger cranks under all circumstances, even in a private home. Holding a license to carry a firearm, a Firearm Identification Card, or, even, a license to possess a machine gun will not authorize possession of a bump stock or trigger crank. There are no exceptions to this prohibition.

The possession ban is the second stage of the law to go into effect. The first stage, which went into effect upon the law’s enactment on November 3, 2017, made it illegal to sell or transfer ownership of bump stocks and trigger cranks.

Anyone who owns a bump stock or trigger crank should, before Feb. 1, surrender the device to police. The items can be brought to any State Police Barracks in Massachusetts, or you may also contact your local police department for information on how to surrender the item to them. Bump stocks and trigger cranks turned into police will be secured and eventually destroyed.

Anyone found to possess one of these prohibited items beginning Feb. 1 faces criminal prosecution.