Mayor Benjamin, President Trump on same page in issue related to gun control
Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin doesn’t agree on a lot ideologically with President Donald Trump.
But Benjamin, a Democrat, had to thank Trump, a Republican, Tuesday.
That’s because the President said he has directed Attorney General Jeff Sessions to draft regulations that would ban devices that would turn legal guns into machine guns, after studying the issue of bump stocks from the Las Vegas shooting.
The City of Columbia passed an ordinance Dec. 19, 2017 that banned the use of bump stocks and trigger cranks.
“I’m thankful that the City of Columbia has been able to lead the way in banning bump stocks in America and I thank the President for this positive move forward,” Benjamin told The State.
Trump, speaking at a ceremony at the White House, said he expected the “critical” new regulations to be finalized soon.
Columbia was one of the first cities – if not the first – in the country to ban the use of controversial bump stocks and trigger cranks.
Bump stocks and trigger cranks are firearm attachments that can turn legal guns into weapons that simulate illegal, fully automatic gunfire.
“American families and our children deserve more and we hope that this is a step forward to more thoughtful policy making that keep our neighborhoods and schools safe,” Benjamin said to The State.
Columbia’s ordinance, which was introduced at the Dec. 5, 2017 City Council meeting, makes it illegal to attach bump stocks or trigger cranks to any guns within the city, except by military or law enforcement personnel. It would still be legal to own those devices, so long as they are stored in separate containers from firearms.
In the Las Vegas hotel room from where gunman Stephen Paddock fired on a concert crowd in October 2017, a dozen guns modified with bump stocks reportedly were found among an arsenal of dozens of weapons.
Last week’s school shooting in Florida has ignited new calls for restrictions on guns, especially AR-15 style rifles like the one used to kill 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. The suspect in the Florida shooting didn’t use a bump stock.
“I believe in responsible gun ownership, and I believe in common sense,” Benjamin said after the ordinance was passed in December. “That’s why we’ve decided to do what our federal and state governments are either unable or unwilling to do and act by banning the use of bump stocks and trigger cranks in our city. This is not the first time we’ve taken the lead, but it may be the most important.”
This story was originally published February 20, 2018 at 5:07 PM with the headline "Mayor Benjamin, President Trump on same page in issue related to gun control."