https://www.gunsamerica.com/digest/are-bump-stocks-still-alive-feds-drop-charges-because-they-couldnt-prove-devices-are-machine-guns/
Are Bump Stocks Still Alive? Feds Drop Charges Because They Couldn’t Prove Devices are Machine Guns
A bump stock case in Houston is making waves in the pro-gun community after federal prosecutors dropped bump stock-related charges against a man because “the government couldn’t prove beyond a reasonable doubt the bump stock was a machine gun,” according to the Houston Chronicle.
Ajay Dhingra, 44, was convicted for lying when he purchased a handgun, rifle and ammunition, and illegally possessing a weapon as a person who had been committed for mental illness. But federal prosecutors dropped charges for bump stock possession after Dhingra’s defense found a former ATF agent willing to testify that bump stocks are not machine guns.
That agent, Rick Vasquez, was ready to testify that, unlike machine guns, bump stocks require the shooter to make contact with the trigger each time a round is fired. His testimony convinced the prosecution that they would be unable to prove that a bump stock is a machine gun, despite the ATF ruling in 2018 that the two are synonymous.
“If something doesn’t meet the definition of a machine gun, it’s not a machine gun,” said defense attorney Tom Berg. “And no amount of wishing or passing rules can change it.”
Are Bump Stocks Still Alive? Feds Drop Charges Because They Couldn’t Prove Devices are Machine Guns
A bump stock case in Houston is making waves in the pro-gun community after federal prosecutors dropped bump stock-related charges against a man because “the government couldn’t prove beyond a reasonable doubt the bump stock was a machine gun,” according to the Houston Chronicle.
Ajay Dhingra, 44, was convicted for lying when he purchased a handgun, rifle and ammunition, and illegally possessing a weapon as a person who had been committed for mental illness. But federal prosecutors dropped charges for bump stock possession after Dhingra’s defense found a former ATF agent willing to testify that bump stocks are not machine guns.
That agent, Rick Vasquez, was ready to testify that, unlike machine guns, bump stocks require the shooter to make contact with the trigger each time a round is fired. His testimony convinced the prosecution that they would be unable to prove that a bump stock is a machine gun, despite the ATF ruling in 2018 that the two are synonymous.
“If something doesn’t meet the definition of a machine gun, it’s not a machine gun,” said defense attorney Tom Berg. “And no amount of wishing or passing rules can change it.”