Bump stock buyback funding passes Washington Senate

OLYMPIA, Wash. — Lawmakers in the Washington Senate have approved funding for a bump stock buyback program.

The measure passed unanimously Thursday, sending it to the House for consideration.

Bump stocks modify a semiautomatic rifle to fire continuously by allowing it to slide back-and-forth against a user's shoulder, causing its trigger to 'bump' against the user's finger extremely rapidly.

Las Vegas gunman Stephen Paddock used weapons including 14 rifles modified with bump stocks to fire over 1,000 shots into a music festival crowd there in 2017, killing 58 and wounding 413 in only 11 minutes.

Washington legislators banned bump stocks in 2018 and created a buyback program at the same time, but didn't set aside money to pay the $150 promised to each person who turned one in.

Thursday's bill sets aside $150,000 in 2019 for the buybacks.