In a landmark decision, the US Supreme Court has overturned the federal ban on bump stocks, devices that allow semi-automatic rifles to mimic automatic gunfire. The ruling was delivered in a 6-3 vote, with the court’s conservative majority determining that the ban, enacted during the Trump administration, did not align with federal law.Justice Clarence Thomas, who wrote the majority opinion, argued that bump stocks do not transform semi-automatic rifles into machine guns and therefore do not fall under the legal definition that would permit their ban. The decision has been met with criticism from gun control advocates and the three liberal justices, who fear it will have dangerous implications for public safety. Justice Sonia Sotomayor, in her dissent, contended that the court’s ruling undermines the statutory definition of a machine gun and could lead to ‘deadly consequences’.The debate over bump stocks gained national attention following their use in the 2017 Las Vegas shooting, where a gunman equipped with the devices killed 58 people and injured hundreds more at a country music festival. President Joe Biden expressed disapproval of the Supreme Court’s decision, stating that ‘war weapons have no place on American streets’. The ruling does not affect state-level bans on bump stocks, which remain in place in 18 states.
Key points
- The Supreme Court has struck down the federal ban on bump stocks, ruling that they do not meet the definition of machine guns under federal law.
- The 6-3 decision reflects the court’s conservative majority’s stance on gun rights and has been criticized by the liberal justices and President Biden.
- Despite the ruling, 18 states still maintain their own bans on the sale and use of bump stocks.
