The Supreme Court has ruled to strike down a ban on bump stocks, a gun accessory that enables semiautomatic weapons to fire rapidly like machine guns. This accessory was infamously used in the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history during the 2017 Las Vegas attack.
The conservative majority of the high court found that the Trump administration did not adhere to federal law when it reversed the ban on bump stocks. The 6-3 majority opinion, written by Justice Clarence Thomas, stated that a semiautomatic rifle with a bump stock does not qualify as an illegal machine gun as it does not fire more than one shot with a single trigger pull.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor dissented, emphasizing the impact of bump stocks in the Las Vegas tragedy and urging Congress to take action. The ruling came after a Texas gun shop owner challenged the ban, arguing that the Justice Department misclassified bump stocks as illegal machine guns.
The Biden administration supported the ban, highlighting the potential danger of bump stocks that can enable weapons to fire at a rapid rate. This case is part of a series of gun-related cases before the Supreme Court, with the court's conservative majority making significant decisions on gun rights.
Bump stocks, invented in the early 2000s, have been a subject of debate among administrations regarding their classification. The ATF initially deemed them legal under previous administrations but reversed this decision under Trump's administration following mass shootings.
The plaintiff, a Texas gun shop owner, argued that bump stocks require more effort from the shooter to maintain rapid fire, distinguishing them from traditional machine guns. The ATF defended its decision to reclassify bump stocks after thorough examination post-Las Vegas shooting.
Approximately 520,000 bump stocks were in circulation when the ban took effect in 2019, leading to their surrender or destruction. This ruling has sparked discussions on gun regulations and the role of Congress in addressing such issues.
For more updates on the U.S. Supreme Court, visit AP's coverage.
