Gun control in US: Trump recommends ban on bump stocks used for weapons

Stephen Paddock, the gunman who killed 58 people and injured hundred last October in Las Vegas, had at least rifles fitted with bump stocks

United States President Donald Trump on Tuesday recommended a ban on 'bump stocks' gun devices.

He also directed his Attorney General, Jeff Sessions to make the proposed changes in the country's gun control law, in the wake of the last week's school shooting at a Florida high school.

"Just a few moments ago I signed a memo directing the attorney general Sessions to propose regulations that ban all devices that turn legal weapons into machine guns. I expect these regulations to be finalized very soon," Trump said.

The bump-stock gun modification was used in the Las Vegas shooting incident, which occurred in October last year. It claimed 58 lives and injured more than 500 people. It was the deadliest attack to ever take place on US soil, since the 9/11 attacks in 2001, the CNN reported.

The Islamic State (IS) had later claimed the attack.

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said on Tuesday that Trump ordered the Justice Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to review the bump fire stocks, which she said had been completed.

"The President doesn't support the use of those accessories (bump stocks)," Sanders said.

Sanders added that there was a proposal to raise the federal age limit for military-style weapons and that it would be discussed in the next few weeks.

Meanwhile, Trump on Tuesday awarded 12 American officials with the Medal of Valour, the highest possible decoration for bravery by public safety officers in the US. This recognition came as these officials were the first responders of the deadly high school shooting in Florida.

Last week, nineteen-year-old shooter, Nikolas Cruz, went on a rampage at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida and gunned down 17 students and injured 14 others. He allegedly used an AR-15 assault rifle that he had purchased legally.

Cruz was a former student and was expelled from the high school for disciplinary reasons. He has been charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder.

After the incident, many lawmakers, gun control advocates and student survivors of the Florida school shooting have urged the Trump administration to implement tougher gun measures.

Meanwhile, Florida legislators on Tuesday rejected a motion to consider a bill that would ban assault rifles in the US. The vote stood at 36-71.

In most US states, the age limit for purchasing the AR-15 rifle is 18 years, while the age limit for handguns is 21 years.