US Supreme Court Overturns Bump Stock Ban: Implications for Gun Laws

The US Supreme Court has overturned a federal ban on bump stocks, citing that the Trump administration overstepped its authority. The ruling, which may impact state-level bans, follows conflicting lower court decisions. Bump stocks, which allow rifles to fire like machine guns, were banned following the 2017 Las Vegas shooting.

WASHINGTON - In a landmark decision on Friday, the US Supreme Court struck down a ban on bump stocks, a firearm attachment used in the 2017 Las Vegas shooting that killed 60 people. The court's conservative majority ruled 6-3 that the Trump administration overextended its regulatory powers with the 2019 ban.

Bump stocks, which replace a rifle's stock and enable semiautomatic weapons to discharge like machine guns, became the focus of renewed attention after the Las Vegas massacre. The federal government initially permitted their sale in 2010, but the ATF reversed this stance in 2019, with backing from then-President Trump.

This ruling has national implications, though it directly affects only the ATF regulation. States with their own bump stock bans may still face legal challenges spurred by this decision. The court's ruling highlighted that any changes to bump stock laws should come from legislative action in Congress, not executive regulatory agencies.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)