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Judge puts Cincinnati bump stock ban on hold

Posted at 5:18 PM, Jul 24, 2018
and last updated 2018-07-24 17:44:12-04

CINCINNATI -- A judge issued a temporary injunction of Cincinnati's bump stock ban Tuesday.

Judge Robert Ruehlman's injunction puts the ban on hold for now. The group Ohioans for Concealed Carry sued Cincinnati last month after the City Council passed an ordinance banning bump stocks in May. 

Ruehlman has set a hearing for Oct. 22. After that, he will rule on whether or not the ordinance is in conflict with state law.

In Columbus earlier this month, a judge ruled that a citywide ban on bump stocks there was unconstitutional. 

Bump stocks allow semi-automatic firearms to be fired at nearly the rate of a fully automatic weapon. They became the focus of scrutiny after a shooter used them in Las Vegas last year to kill nearly 60 people and injure hundreds of others.

Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld introduced the ordinance, saying it's a safety issue. After Ruehlman's decision Tuesday, Sittenfeld released a statement saying the city will "take a strong stand against the devastating state of gun violence in our country."

Cincinnati's ordinance may depend on whether bump stocks are classified as "accessories" or "attachments," rather than "components" of a firearm. The Ohio Supreme Court has not yet considered the difference, City Solicitor Paula Boggs Muething wrote in a memo to the mayor and council this year.