WATERBURY — Vermont State Police barracks across Vermont will begin accepting “bump-fire stocks” from the public effective immediately following passage of new firearms-related laws earlier this year.
Act 94 amends Vermont state law to prohibit the possession of bump-fire stocks. State statute defines the devices as “a butt stock designed to be attached to a semiautomatic firearm and intended to increase the rate of fire achievable with the firearm to that of a fully automatic firearm by using the energy from the recoil of the firearm to generate a reciprocating action that facilitates the repeated activation of the trigger.”
The law directs the Department of Public Safety to collect bump-fire stocks from persons who want to voluntarily and anonymously relinquish bump-fire stocks.
In compliance with that law, the Vermont State Police will allow members of the public to voluntarily surrender their bump-fire stocks anonymously at any of the 10 VSP barracks in the state. People may turn in the devices during regular business hours of 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. To find a list of barracks, head online to vsp.vermont.gov/stations.
Bump-fire stocks must not be attached to a firearm when brought to a barracks for disposal. People must remove the bump-fire stocks from their weapons before entering the barracks.
Barracks staff will take no information about the identity of the person surrendering the bump-fire stock. The voluntarily surrendered devices will be held in a secure area in the barracks pending destruction.
Under the new law, possession of a bump-fire stock is punishable by up to one year in prison and $1,000 in fines.