Swiss police call for ‘bump stock’ ban

A shooting instructor demonstrates the grip on an AR-15 rifle fitted with a bump stock Keystone

“Bump stocks”, devices attached to the stocks of semi-automatic guns that allow them to simulate fully automatic gunfire, should be banned, the Swiss Federal Office of Police (FEDPOL) has recommended. 

Such devicesExternal link are comparable to automatic weapons, which are outlawed in Switzerland, FEDPOL said on Friday, calling for a ban on the “delivery, purchase, acting as an intermediary and bringing into Swiss territory” of bump stocks. 

Exemption permits could be granted by the relevant cantonal authorities, but FEDPOL said experts couldn’t think of any convincing arguments for such a permit. 

FEDPOL said the conference of police commissioners supported the recommendation. 

Bump stocks have become a topic of discussion since October 1, when a man fired on a country music concert crowd from his 32nd-floor hotel room in Las Vegas, killing 58 people and injuring nearly 500. He had 12 weapons fitted with such devices.