The Supreme Court will hear arguments on whether the Trump administration’s ban on bump stocks, which enable semi-automatic rifles to fire more rapidly like automatic weapons, is legal.
This Wednesday’s hearing follows the 2017 Las Vegas shooting. The shooter used bump stock-equipped firearms, killing 58 people at a music festival.
The ATF reclassified bump stocks as machine guns, banning them federally. Gun owner Michael Cargill surrendered two bump stocks and challenges the ATF’s authority in court.
The Supreme Court’s decision to hear this case comes after conflicting rulings from federal appeals courts.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit ruled that bump stocks do not fall under the statutory definition of machine guns, while the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit upheld the ban, stating that bump stocks are indeed machine guns under federal law.
The Biden administration has appealed the 5th Circuit’s decision, and a ruling is expected by early summer.
Despite the ban, bumpstock.com, operated by bump stock inventor Jeremiah Cottle, claims it will ship to states covered by the 5th and 6th Circuit decisions. Meanwhile, the ATF has stated that bump stocks remain illegal despite these court rulings.