The Supreme Court dealt a blow to the Biden administration on Friday, ruling that a federal ban on bump stocks, gun accessories that enable semiautomatic rifles to fire more quickly, is unlawful. In a 6-3 decision split along ideological lines, with the court’s conservatives in the majority, the justices held that a nearly century-old law intended to ban machine guns cannot be legitimately interpreted to include bump stocks.
Justice Clarence Thomas, writing for the majority, stated that a firearm equipped with a bump stock does not meet the definition of a “machinegun” under federal law. The ruling drew a strong dissent from liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who employed a metaphor to illustrate her point: “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.” Sotomayor took the unusual step of reading a summary of her dissent in court, emphasizing her disagreement with the majority.
Despite the federal ban being struck down, bump stocks will not become widely available nationwide, as more than a dozen states have already banned them, according to Everytown for Gun Safety, a nonprofit gun-control group. Congress also has the authority to take action on the issue.
President Joe Biden, in a statement following the ruling, reaffirmed his commitment to using “every tool in my administration to stamp out gun violence.” He called on Congress to ban bump stocks, pass an assault weapon ban, and take additional measures to save lives, promising to sign such legislation immediately if sent to his desk. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., echoed the president’s sentiment, stating that “the only way to permanently close this loophole is through legislation.”
Gun control advocates expressed disappointment with the ruling and raised concerns that some state-level bans could also be challenged. Esther Sanchez-Gomez, litigation director at Giffords Law Center, criticized the majority of justices for siding “with the gun lobby instead of the safety of the American people,” calling the decision “shameful.”
The Trump administration prohibited bump stocks after the 2017 Las Vegas mass shooting, in which the perpetrator, Stephen Paddock, used firearms equipped with the accessory to kill 58 people at a country music festival. Then-President Donald Trump personally called for the ban, and the National Rifle Association initially indicated support for the measure before later backtracking. The NRA welcomed Friday’s ruling, stating on X (formerly Twitter) that the court had “properly restrained executive branch agencies to their role of enforcing, and not making, the law.”
The Supreme Court’s decision highlights the ongoing debate surrounding gun control measures in the United States and the interpretation of the Second Amendment. As the nation grapples with the issue of gun violence, the ruling is likely to intensify calls for legislative action to address the availability of certain firearms and accessories.
