Supreme Court Allows Bump Stocks, Delivering Blow to Gun Safety Efforts

WASHINGTON — In a 6-3 ruling, the Supreme Court decided that devices which effectively turn semi-automatic rifles into machine guns are legal, marking a victory for gun rights advocates, and a setback for those seeking to reduce gun violence.

Justice Clarence Thomas, writing for the majority, stated: "A bump stock does not convert a semi-automatic rifle into a machinegun any more than a shooter with a lightning-fast trigger finger does."

Justice Sonia Sotomayor, reading the liberal dissent, warned the majority's "artificially narrow definition" could have "deadly consequences." In her dissent, she wrote:

When I see a bird that walks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, I call that bird a duck.

• 'Blood on Our Streets'

Justice Samuel Alito, concurring, acknowledged the deadly potential of bump stocks, stating Congress should amend firearm laws—a sentiment echoed by California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who tweeted:

This decision will put blood on our streets ... That blood will be on the hands of every Republican in Congress who has refused to enact common-sense reforms.

President Biden called on Congress to act, while the NRA lauded the ruling as a check on executive power, claiming it as a win for the Second Amendment.

The controversial devices were banned by the Trump administration after the 2017 Las Vegas shooting, where a gunman used bump stocks, killing 58 people. A lower court deemed the ban an "administrative fiat," and now, hundreds of thousands of Americans own bump stocks—a fact gun rights advocates cited as crucial.