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Bump Stocks Are Banned, Unless You’re Clark Aposhian
Meet the man who’s fighting for the right to keep a weapon even Donald Trump condemns
This story is part of The Trump 45, a special package about Trump’s impact on individual lives.
As of March 26, 2019, owning a bump stock was a felony for everyone in the United States except for Clark Aposhian. The prominent Utah gun lobbyist is challenging the Trump administration’s ban on the device, which uses a semi-automatic gun’s recoil energy to bump the trigger, allowing for continuous firing. Days before the ban went into effect, the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals granted Aposhian a stay, allowing him to hold on to his bump stock. He spent the next month showing it off to reporters. Then, in early May, the court reversed itself, ruling that Aposhian had to turn in the bump stock until his case is resolved.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
GEN: When and why did you first get your bump stock?
Clark Aposhian: I bought it maybe three years ago. It was in the clearance aisle at a gun store. I’d been interested, but I wasn’t going to spend $350, which is what they were asking. I just put it in my gun room and there it sat. It wasn’t until the local media called after the Vegas shooting. They said, “Do you have a bump stock?” I had to think about it for a second and I said, “Yeah, you know what, I think I do.” So I put it on because they wanted a picture.
Do you get much use out of it?
I’m a tactical firearm instructor — we’re talking about the application of firearms for defense — and it really doesn’t do any good there. If a bump stock were good for that, you would see law enforcement or military using it. It’s range toy. I have other range toys too, but I would never bring it [to] one of my tactical classes. It’s not accurate.
Why did you challenge the ban if you don’t even like bump stocks?
It had nothing to with whether I thought bump stocks were a good idea. It’s because of the way they banned them. We have executive, legislative, and judicial branches, and we all…
