In a significant ruling, the Supreme Court has declared the federal ban on ‘bump stocks’ unlawful. Bump stocks are gun accessories that allow semi-automatic rifles to fire more quickly. The ban was imposed by the Trump administration following the 2017 mass shooting in Las Vegas. However, in a 6 to 3 ruling, the Supreme Court stated that a nearly 100-year-old law aimed at banning machine guns does not encompass bump stocks. Justice Clarence Thomas, writing for the majority, argued that a firearm equipped with a bump stock does not meet the definition of a ‘machinegun’ under federal law.
This ruling comes as a loss for the Biden administration, as they had supported the ban. The court’s conservative justices formed the majority in this ruling, with liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor issuing a strong dissent. Sotomayor compared a firearm equipped with a bump stock to a duck, stating that if it walks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it should be considered a duck.
It is important to note that despite the federal ban being lifted, bump stocks will still not be readily available nationwide. Currently, eighteen states have already banned them, according to the nonprofit gun-control group Everytown for Gun Safety. Additionally, Congress has the power to act on this issue. It is worth mentioning that the Trump administration initially implemented the prohibition on bump stocks after the 2017 Las Vegas shooting, where the perpetrator used firearms equipped with bump stocks to carry out the attack.
This decision is significant given the ideological shift of the Supreme Court. With the appointment of conservative Justice Amy Coney Barrett, the court now has a 6-3 conservative majority. This majority has historically supported gun rights in previous cases. The National Firearms Act, enacted in 1934, was introduced to regulate machine guns in response to gang violence during the Prohibition era.
The lawsuit challenging the bump stock ban was brought forth by Michael Cargill, a licensed gun dealer based in Texas. Cargill owned two bump stocks prior to the ban and later surrendered them to the government. Bump stocks utilize recoil energy to enable the user to fire multiple rounds with a single trigger pull. Cargill’s lawyers argued that using bump stocks requires a certain level of skill.
While some gun rights advocates initially supported President Donald Trump’s decision to regulate bump stocks following the Las Vegas shooting, they have since opposed the ban. This ruling does not address the broader issue of gun control or the scope of the Second Amendment, but it remains a significant development in the ongoing discussion surrounding gun regulations.
Stay tuned for more updates and information as this story continues to develop, on Fan Reviews News.
