ST. LOUIS, MO - APRIL 13: Chris Patrie looks at the Benelli display of shotguns during the NRA Annual Meetings and Exhibits April 13, 2012 at the America's Center in St. Louis, Missouri. More than 60,000 people are expected to attend the convention, which runs through Sunday. Republican presidential candidates former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, and former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum are all scheduled to speak. (Photo by Whitney Curtis/Getty Images)
The Supreme Court overturned a ban on rapid-fire rifle bump stocks, a ban put in place by former President Donald Trump’s administration, on Friday.
The gun accessories that were originally banned by Trump in 2018 were used in the deadliest mass shootings in the modern history of the United States. The accessories allow for a rate of fire that is comparable to machine guns.
The Supreme Court’s conservative majority found that Trump overstepped when imposing this ban and overturned this decision.
Trump’s decision to ban bump stocks came after a mass shooting in Las Vegas in 2017, where a gunman opened fire on a music festival, firing 1000 rounds in 11 minutes. Hundreds were injured, and dozens were killed in these shootings where the bump stock accessories were used.
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The reversal of this ban was unique in that many Democrats supported the Trump-era ban, while many Republicans supported the Court’s ruling. President Joe Biden called for Congress to reinstate this ban, which was created by his opponent in the 2024 election.
Trump is aiming to appeal to gun owners in the upcoming election. In February, he told NRA members at their convention that no one would take their firearms. The NRA endorsed Trump as a presidential candidate
The Court voted 6-3, and in the majority opinion written by Clarence Thomas, stated that declaring that bum stocks turned semi-automatic rifles into machine guns was not legal, as the guns could only release one shot at a time.
This ruling was criticized by the family of Christiana Duarte, who was killed in the Las Vegas shooting.
“The ruling is really just another way of inviting people to have another mass shooting,” said Danette Meyers, a family friend. “It’s unfortunate that they have to relive this again. They’re really unhappy.”
Sixteen states have separate bans on bump stocks that are not likely to be impacted by the ruling.
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