Supreme Court upholds bump stock ban in big win for gun safety advocates
Written by ABC Audio All Rights Reserved on October 3, 2022
(WASHINGTON) — The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected two appeals by gun owners seeking to overturn the federal government’s ban on the sale of bump stocks — devices that allow a semiautomatic firearm to shoot more than one shot with a single pull of the trigger.
The court did not elaborate on its decision, which is a significant victory for gun safety advocates and government efforts to regulate dangerous weapons.
After the Las Vegas shooting massacre in 2017, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives revised federal regulations to define bump stocks as machine guns under a 1986 law that bans machine guns.
Several pro-gun groups challenged the rules over what they argued was mischaracterization of the devices.
The ban makes possession of a bump stock a felony subject to up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. More than 500,000 Americans who previously purchased a bump stock will be required to turn it in or destroy it, gun advocacy groups have said.
The rejected cases are Aphosian v. Garland, and Gun Owners of America v. Garland.
Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
KVSP