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Opinion

A federal ban on bump stocks is close, Trump says — and it can't come soon enough

There's no sane reason why anyone should be allowed to buy any devices that can turn a semi-automatic weapon into a machine gun.

In the divisive political debate over gun laws, it's been tough going to get agreement on the right way forward in curbing massive gun violence. Our best hope for real action has to start with plowing areas where there is common ground.

That's why we're encouraged by President Donald Trump's declaration that a ban on bump stocks is "two or three weeks away." It's long overdue.

There's no reason this device should be on the market since it can essentially turn a semi-automatic rifle into a machine gun. This is the device that Las Vegas killer Stephen Paddock used a year ago to fire more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition in 10 minutes, killing 59 people and injuring 422 others.

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We've long called for banning this device and even National Rifle Association leaders have said they're open to further regulations on bump stocks.

We continue to be disappointed that Congress hasn't taken the lead on meaningful legislation to curb gun violence. While mass killings account for a small slice of gun deaths in this country, the frequency of these large-scale homicides is increasing.

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After Las Vegas, a handful of states and cities took matters into their own hands. Washington, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Florida, Connecticut, Maryland and the cities of Denver and Columbia, S.C., have passed bans on bump stocks. State law prohibits Texas cities from such bans, and lawmakers are unlikely to take up any such measure in the next session.

A nationwide ban would hold significant power.

It fell to Trump to ask Attorney General Jeff Sessions to seek a regulatory ban. The Justice Department has submitted its proposal to the Office of Management and Budget. And now we wait for the end of the 90-day review period.

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This newspaper has said that it's important that any reforms respect Second Amendment rights, and that's critical that Washington should not allow reasonable progress to be paralyzed.

As we've pointed out, large majorities of Americans support such things as universal background checks. We've called on Congress to create a federal center for mass shootings that would collect key data and review federal, state and local laws to find gaps in the system before the next shooter does. We've pushed for a creative collaboration with the NRA.

It's been frustrating that real movement has been so slow. But banning bump stocks throughout this country is a promising step in the right direction.

We've had too much carnage — in Las Vegas, Parkland, Sante Fe and right here in Dallas — to not continue to look for common-sense solutions.

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