There is new support for laws outlawing so called 'bump stocks,' but a retired Texas ATF agent says, be careful what you wish for, News Radio 1200 WOAI reprots.
But the NRA and the Trump White House have expressed a desire to consider outlawing the add-on devices, which use the weapon's natural recoil to allow the weapon to fire far more rapidly by 'bumping' it back and forth in the shooter's hand.
Retired ATF Agent Hector Terango says just like anything else that is in demand, if 'bump stocks' are outlawed, it will simply benefit the smuggling cartels and off shore underground manufacturers.
"You're going to get the international makers, the Chinese and other areas," he said. "We see that now with what you call 'switches,' which go into the back of a Glock and turn them into fully automatic."
Gun shops report that sales of 'bump stocks' are way up, ending what dealers had referred to as the 'Trump Slump.'
During the Obama Administration, gun sales spiked when there was talk about restricting or banning certain weapons. After Trump was elected, the rush sales ended, because buyers figured that gun control was a dead issue.
Brian Hughes, who hosts a Texas outdoor sports program, says that run is due to the talk about outlawing the devices.
"If I buy it now, and its grandfathered, if I pay 'x' amount of dollars for it, in two or three years, when it is outlawed, I can sell it for two or three times 'x' amount of dollars," he said.