The federal ban on bump stocks imposed by former US President Donald Trump was struck down by the US apex court on Friday. It is the latest decision by the conservative court towards the reduction of gun control laws. A bump stock is a device that increases the rate of fire of a semi-automatic weapon when it is attached to it. The fire rate can go up to hundreds of rounds per minute.
Justice Clarence Thomas wrote the decision for the 6-3 ruling. The liberal justices, led by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, disagreed with the decision. “This case asks whether a bump stock — an accessory for a semiautomatic rifle that allows the shooter to rapidly reengage the trigger (and therefore achieve a high rate of fire) — converts the rifle into a ‘machine gun.’ We hold that it does not,” Thomas wrote for the conservative majority.
Regulations Under The Trump-Era
Donald Trump had pushed for regulations post the mass shooting in 2017 that claimed the lives of 58 people at an outdoor music festival in Las Vegas. A gun store owner in Texas, Michael Cargill, challenged the ban. He purchased two such devices in 2018 and gave them up to the government after the implementation of the prohibition on such weapons and then he quickly sued to get them back.
According to federal rules if one was found in possession of Bump Stocks they were punishable by law with imprisonment up to 10 years. Although the case wasn’t based on the Second Amendment, it brought the gun debate back to the Supreme Court in one of this year’s most closely watched issues. This decision is another example of the court siding with gun rights groups.
The Story Behind The Ban, Starting From Al Capone
Bump stock attachments can intensely increase the fire rate of semi-automatic firearms reaching up to hundreds of rounds per minute. The litigation against the bump stock is indirectly tied to a gun control law that was enacted by the Congress in the 1930s. Its major intent was to target gangsters like Al Capone and John Dillinger. This was of course in response to the crimes that involved heavy usage of machine guns such as robbing a bank or ambushing the authorities. Through this law, makers obliged the owners to register their respective weapons.
The law was amended a couple of times and by 1986 it had prohibited Americans completely from transferring or possessing machine guns altogether. Further, the amended law defined the nature of a ‘machine gun’ as
a weapon that has the capacity to fire more than one round with a ‘single function of the trigger’. The latter phrase is precisely the bone of contention in the case.
Both the Trump and Biden administrations, along with gun control groups, argued that bump stocks function like machine guns. In 2018, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives reclassified bump stocks as machine guns and, according to existing laws, prohibited their sale and ownership.
The ATF estimated that approximately 520,000 bump stocks were purchased from 2010 to 2018. These devices are designed to replace the standard stock of a semiautomatic rifle, which traditionally rests against the shooter’s shoulder. By harnessing the weapon’s recoil, users can simulate automatic firing without needing to release their trigger finger.
The Ban imposed on Bump stocks became active in 2019 under the Trump administration and it required the owners to surrender or demolish their weapons coming under the purview of this law.
Gun Control Groups Show Dissent
The groups advocating for gun control laws have showed their dissent regarding the Supreme Court ruling and have iterated their concerns stating that the move will be detrimental to the Country as it is already tangled in the dangers of gun violence. School Shootings and incidences of gun violence are a raising cause of concern in America.
“We’ve seen bump stocks cause immense destruction and violence,” said Esther Sanchez-Gomez, an attorney with the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. “Congress must act to undo the damage and make clear that bump stocks, and all automatic conversion devices, are illegal under federal law.”
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