Bump stocks use the recoil of a rifle to fire more rapidly, simulating an automatic weapon.
After the state banned them in 2018, it set up a buyback program, offering owners $150 for the devices. The allocated funds were expended in days after 1,000 people turned in their bump stocks. Someone submitted a public records request for information on the participants.
After outcry from residents and a federal lawsuit hoping to block the release, legislators took action. In the final hours of the legislative session, lawmakers passed a bill that would block the release of that information.
Sen. Dean Takko, D-Longview, was one of the bill’s sponsors.
“If we want people to turn things in like that, I think you have to have a little confidentiality or people probably aren’t going to do it in the future,” he said.
Takko said that given the high participation rate this time he expects more money to be allocated for a future buyback.
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