Rep. David Cicilline, a Rhode Island Democrat, repeatedly mischaracterized an AR-15 stabilizing arm brace as a “bump stock” that turns the gun into an “automatic weapon” in Wednesday’s House Judiciary Committee hearing on guns, showing that he has no clue what he is trying to ban and for what reason.
Cicilline sponsored the Democrats’ “assault weapons” ban, which passed through the House Judiciary Committee Wednesday night.
During the July 20 hearing, Cicilline held up a placard showing a photo of an AR-15-style pistol system with an arm brace attached to a shooter’s arm, showing how the brace would be used by a gun owner.
The brace, which was highlighted in yellow and marked “Stabilizing brace” on the Congressman’s card, is intended to help someone with mobility issues to fire the weapon with one hand instead of two.
The question over the arm brace arose when a Republican amendment introduced by GOP Rep. Michelle Fischbach of Minnesota to the Democrat’s “assault weapons ban” bill was offered to exclude the arm brace from the list of banned items.
The Republicans pointed out that the brace was intended to help disabled Americans exercise their Second Amendment rights by using technology to help them stabilize the weapon if they are physically unable to do so if they are missing a hand, for instance, or have muscle strength issues.
But Cicilline jumped in and asserted that the brace somehow turns the weapon into a fully automatic machine gun and therefore should be a banned item.
During his initial comments, Cicilline pointed to his placard of an AR-pistol system and said, “This stabilizing brace, which is depicted here, when attached here it turns this weapon into an automatic weapon. It becomes a bump stock. And so, it will allow that to essentially be fired like an automatic weapon.”
Rep Cicilline on stabilizing braces: “When attached here, it turns this weapon into an automatic weapon. It becomes a bump stock, and so it will allow that to essentially be fired like an automatic weapon. That’s the danger.” pic.twitter.com/fNEo3EN6Uu
— Firearms Policy Coalition (@gunpolicy) July 21, 2022
Cicilline’s proclamation, though, is wholly inaccurate. These arm braces are fixed devices that, when attached, pin the stock of the weapon to the user’s arm in an immobile manner.
But that is not how a bump stock works. A bump stock allows the pistol to move back and forth against the user’s trigger finger to use the recoil of the weapon to fire faster. A stabilizing brace does not do anything at all with recoil, nor can it change the rate of fire. It simply helps a shooter hold on to the weapon.
Rep. Thomas Massie, a Republican from Kentucky, quickly pointed out how far from the facts Cicilline’s claim was.
“The Democrats are so zealous in their rush to ban everything related to guns and every gun that exists that I’m afraid Mr. Cicilline has his gun features mixed up,” Massie pointed out. “He just described the arm brace, which is used by people who have a handicap to help fire a pistol, he just described it as a bump stock.”
Massie added that the brace shown on Cicilline’s placard is “neither a stock nor a bump stock.”
“I think it’s important that if you’re going to ban these things that you actually understand what you’re banning,” Massie said.
If you’re gonna ban guns, you should actually understand what you’re banning.
An arm brace for disabled veterans is NOT a bump stock. pic.twitter.com/yJVSGYBKVk
— House Judiciary GOP (@JudiciaryGOP) July 21, 2022
Massie went on to describe the effects of the arm brace further: “The picture that [Cicilline] showed, everybody needs to know, is not a bump stock, it’s an arm brace for firing a pistol from the wrist. And it’s not made to increase the rate of fire of the firearm, it’s not made to simulate automatic fire, it’s made to stabilize the grip of a pistol. And that’s all it does.”
Another false claim Cicilline made was that the arm brace “coupled with a buffer tube” somehow “converts” the arm brace into a “bump stock.”
But Massie also destroyed that claim. The Kentuckian noted that every AR-15 sold has the buffer tube in it and they don’t do a thing to change the rate of fire.
The ignorance on display is frightening. And these are the people telling us what items that more effectively help us to protect ourselves should be banned.
You can watch the entire discussion here:
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This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
