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WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department is reviewing whether devices that allow semiautomatic rifles to fire faster should be banned.
The review announced Tuesday comes after a Las Vegas gunman used the so-called "bump stock" devices during a deadly October rampage that killed 59 people and wounded hundreds more. A bid to ban the accessory fizzled in Congress, even as bipartisan lawmakers expressed openness to the idea.
The Justice Department will consider whether weapons using bump stocks should be considered illegal machine guns under federal law. They are currently legal and widely available.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions says officials will accept input from the public as well as the gun industry as part of the review.
The announcement comes ahead of a Wednesday Senate committee hearing where bump stocks will be discussed.
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