TYLER, Texas — The owning, selling, and buying of bump stocks is illegal in the United States as of Tuesday.
A bump stock is an accessory that helps firearms to mimic automatic gunfire by attaching to a plastic stock and firearm.
"You could shoot your gun normally, or you could pull a lever on it, and it would work with the recoil of the gun," Austin Rohr, owner of Superior Firearms said. "So with your finger in the trigger guard, it worked with the recoil, it allows you to fire faster than normal."
Rohr says the the store sold bump stocks years ago. However, sales were low and complaints were high.
"Our customers and our clientele, they didn't seem to care for them," Rohr explained. "We had more complaints that they didn't work very well then anything so we just stopped carrying them."
In 2010, bump stocks were legal under federal law after the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives approved them. Since then the government said that more than 500,000 have been sold.
"As a company we decided that we wouldn't sell them," Rohr said.
Owners of bump stocks are required to turn the accessory over to the ATF, whose office is located at Plaza Tower, 110 N College Ave #1500 in Tyler.
Owners may also must destroy them by melting, shredding or crushing the bump stock. Owning the item is a felony according to the ATF and punishable with a fine up to $250,000 with a possible 10 year prison sentence.