South Carolina's capital is now the first US city to ban the use of bump stocks

The Columbia City Council in South Carolina passed a measure Tuesday night that bans the use of bump stocks on guns, The State reported.

The city is believed to be the first municipality to pass such a law.

"I believe in responsible gun ownership, and I believe in common sense," Mayor Steve Benjamin (D) told CBS News in a statement. "That's why we've decided to do what our federal and state governments are either unable or unwilling to do."

What's in the law?

The law makes it illegal to attach a bump stock to any gun within the city limits except by military or law enforcement personnel.

The ordinance proposed last month referred to the Las Vegas massacre that left 58 dead and many injured when shooter Stephen Paddock opened fire on concertgoers on Oct. 1.

"[T]he carnage in Las Vegas was accomplished due to the rapid-fire capabilities of a 'bump stock' attached to the shooter's firearms," the text of the statute stated.

The law also bans trigger cranks, which attach to a firearm’s trigger and allow them to fire rapidly by turning a crank.

Under the new law, the use of a bump stock or trigger crank is a misdemeanor violation that could lead to a fine and up to 30 days in jail, NPR reported.

It is not illegal to possess a bump stock or trigger crank as long as the devices are stored separately and not attached to a gun.

What else?

Benjamin told NPR there were some critics when he first proposed the measure, but he said the sentiment recently has been "overwhelmingly positive."

"Well, the reality is that on our city council, there are whole lots of good guys who have guns," Benjamin told NPR, " and [we] just thought that other than the argument being so constantly polarized, that people who are strong supporters of the Second Amendment — but also strong supporters of downright good common sense — should step up and do something. And we thought Columbia, South Carolina, might be a great place to start."