United President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he has directed the Justice Department to frame regulations to ban “bump stocks” – a device that, when attached to a gun, allows the shooter to fire hundreds of rounds per minute.

Trump’s order comes a week after a teenager opened fire at a school in Florida, killing 17 people.

“I expect that these critical regulations will be finalised very soon,” Trump said at a White House event, according to BBC. “We cannot merely take actions that make us feel like we are making a difference, we must actually make a difference.”

The president added: “We must focus on evidence-based solutions and security measures that actually work and that make it easier for men and women of law enforcement to protect our children and safety.”

The president said school safety has now become a top priority for his administration. “We can do more to protect our children...We must do more to protect our children,” he added.

Trump said he had asked his administration in October 2017 how the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives regulate bump fire stocks and similar devices. On October 1, 2017, a gunman had killed 59 people at a concert using bump fire stocks.

The move comes on a day when Florida state lawmakers rejected a bill that would ban assault rifles. The motion failed by a 36-71 vote. Democratic State Representative, Carlos Guillermo Smith, who had sponsored the ban, said it was shameful that the lawmakers did not even want to have a debate or discussion on the proposed legislation. “They could’ve at least voted to take up the assault weapon’s ban on the floor and have a debate, and then if they wanted to they could’ve voted no on the bill,” he told the Independent.

Bump stocks can be bought for $100 without a criminal background check. The accessory can turn legal semi-automatic weapons into machine guns.