The Supreme Court invalidated the Trump-era ban on bump stocks in a 6-3 decision on Friday, ruling along ideological lines. The devices, which convert semi-automatic weapons to fire rapidly like machine guns, were banned following the 2017 Las Vegas mass shooting.
The Trump and Biden administrations both classified bump stocks as machine guns under federal law, making possession a criminal offense. However, the court ruled that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) overstepped its authority.
Justice Clarence Thomas, writing for the majority, stated that a semi-automatic rifle equipped with a bump stock does not meet the definition of a machine gun, as it does not fire more than one shot per trigger pull. Justice Samuel Alito concurred, suggesting Congress could amend the law to explicitly ban bump stocks.
Michael Cargill, a gun store owner backed by the National Rifle Association, challenged the ban after surrendering two bump stocks in 2019. He expressed satisfaction with the ruling, emphasizing his commitment to defending the Constitution.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor, representing the court’s three liberal justices in dissent, argued that a bump-stock-equipped rifle functions as a machine gun. Sotomayor emphasized the importance of viewing the device’s function over its classification.
The Supreme Court is also set to decide on another significant gun case regarding the constitutionality of a federal law criminalizing gun possession for individuals under domestic-violence restraining orders.
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