WASHINGTON – In a landmark decision, the Supreme Court has invalidated a ban on bump stocks, devices that modify semi-automatic rifles to mimic the firing rate of machine guns. This ruling marks a significant victory for gun rights advocates while dealing a setback to those striving to mitigate gun violence.
The court’s 6-3 decision, divided along ideological lines, determined that the federal government incorrectly categorized bump stocks as machine guns. Justice Clarence Thomas, writing for the majority, stated, “A bump stock does not convert a semi-automatic rifle into a machine gun any more than a shooter with a lightning-fast trigger finger does.”
Justice Sonia Sotomayor, representing the dissent, criticized the majority’s “artificially narrow definition,” warning of potentially “deadly consequences.”
‘Quacks Like a Duck’
Sotomayor emphasized the functionality of bump stocks, which allow firearms to operate at rates comparable to machine guns. The devices, banned following the tragic 2017 Las Vegas shooting that claimed 58 lives, had their classification reversed by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) in 2018, leading to the current legal challenge.
During the February oral arguments, the conservative justices expressed concerns about both the regulatory reach of federal agencies and the specific technicalities of the case. The crux of their deliberation was whether bump stocks cause rifles to fire multiple rounds “automatically” with a single trigger pull or if each shot is individually activated by the shooter.