The Supreme Court’s decision invalidating the nationwide bump stock ban has reignited Democrats efforts to enact gun control, leading to a showdown in the U.S. Senate.
Late last week, the United States Supreme Court struck down the 2018 bump stock ban rule.
The Supreme Court agreed to consider the ATF’s overreach in Garland v. Cargill on the bump stock issue in November of 2023, and the final ruling was 6-3 against the ATF.
Justice Thomas, writing for the majority, stated:
“We hold that a semiautomatic rifle equipped with a bump stock is not a ‘machinegun’ because it cannot fire more than one shot ‘by a single function of the trigger.’…ATF therefore exceeded its statutory authority by issuing a Rule that classifies bump stocks as machineguns.”
This is a tremendous rebuke to the ATF and the Presidents who channeled their anti-gun agenda through an executive agency when they could not get it through Congress.
Fuming mad at the Supreme Court’s ruling, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced late Monday evening that he and Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM) would bring the so-called “BUMP Act” to the U.S. Senate floor for unanimous consent.
Fortunately for gun rights supporters, Republican Pete Ricketts (NE) objected to the bill, stalling it for now.
The underlying language of this bill stated it would not only ban just bump stocks, but also every firearm accessory that is claimed to make a firearm shoot “too fast.”
Early reports even indicated Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Thom Tillis (R-NC) were supporting the bill.
As for what’s next, the Cargill ruling unequivocally told the ATF (and the entire executive branch) that they may not twist and rewrite federal law to enact bans Congress never passed.
This is a massive check to President Biden’s anti-gun strategy, and will be used to destroy the ATF’s other bans on pistol braces, forced reset triggers, home-built firearms, and private gun sales.
Read more at The Hill.
