U.S. Supreme Court rejects challenge to ban on gun 'bump stocks'

[webfact]

U.S. Supreme Court rejects challenge to ban on gun 'bump stocks'

By Andrew Chung

 

FILE PHOTO: A bump fire stock that attaches to a semi-automatic rifle to increase the firing rate is seen at Good Guys Gun Shop in Orem, Utah, U.S., October 4, 2017. REUTERS/George Frey/File Photo

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rebuffed a bid by gun rights advocates to overturn President Donald Trump's ban on "bump stocks" - devices that enable semi-automatic weapons to fire rapidly like a machine gun - implemented after the 2017 Las Vegas mass shooting.

 

The justices left in place a lower court's decision that upheld the Trump administration's action to define bump stocks as prohibited machine guns under U.S. law even as litigation over the policy continues.

 

The ban, which went into effect in March 2019, was embraced by Trump following a massacre that killed 58 people at a music festival in Las Vegas in which the gunman used bump stocks. It represented a rare recent instance of gun control at the federal level in a country that has experienced a series of mass shootings.

 

Numerous gun control proposals have been thwarted in the U.S. Congress, largely because of opposition by Republican lawmakers and the influential National Rifle Association gun rights lobby.

 

The Firearms Policy Foundation, a gun rights group, and other plaintiffs sued in federal court to try to reverse Trump's action.

 

In a statement, the foundation promised to return to the Supreme Court when litigation in lower courts is complete to "continue to fight for the people that President Trump and his administration abandoned by lawlessly forcing them to dispossess their property and threatening them with federal prison time."

 

A Justice Department spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

 

Bump stocks use a gun's recoil to bump its trigger, enabling a semiautomatic weapon to fire hundreds of rounds per minute, which can transform it into a machine gun. The ban required owners to turn in or destroy the attachments and those caught in possession of them could face up to 10 years in prison.

 

The Las Vegas gunman, Stephen Paddock, was found to have fired more than 1,100 rounds of ammunition in about 11 minutes, employing semi-automatic rifles modified with bump stocks.

 

The plaintiffs challenged a new rule issued by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives at Trump's direction that classified bump stock devices as forbidden machine guns under the 1934 National Firearms Act.

 

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rebuffed a bid by gun rights advocates to overturn President Donald Trump's ban on "bump stocks" - devices that enable semi-automatic weapons to fire rapidly like a machine gun - implemented after the 2017 Las Vegas mass shooting. Tamara Lindstrom has more.

 

A federal court refused to issue an injunction against the ban, saying the plaintiffs would likely lose the case. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit upheld that decision, deferring to the bureau's new interpretation of the National Firearms Act.

 

Conservative Justice Neil Gorsuch, a Trump appointee, issued a statement agreeing with the decision to deny the appeal. But he criticized the lower court's deference to a federal agency - the bureau - that had changed its interpretation of a longstanding law.

 

"How, in all this, can ordinary citizens be expected to keep up?" Gorsuch asked, adding that the bump stock dispute may return to the Supreme Court at a later date.

 

The Supreme Court in December heard arguments in the first major gun dispute to come before the justices since 2010 - a challenge backed by the NRA to a handgun transport restriction in New York City.

 

(Reporting by Andrew Chung; Editing by Will Dunham)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-03-03

Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking Thailand news and visa info

[Tug]

Good there is absolutely no reason to own one

[Bluespunk]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

 

Bump stocks use a gun's recoil to bump its trigger, enabling a semiautomatic weapon to fire hundreds of rounds per minute, which can transform it into a machine gun.

Who the hell needs one of these-apart from psychopaths intent on slaughter?

[Nyezhov]

16 minutes ago, Tug said:

Good there is absolutely no reason to own one

Tend to finally agree with you Tug, however, I disagree with the decision allowing the BATF to write the rules (eg Gorsuch).

 

You might recall the same type issue with parts called Auto Sears years ago. Without getting into the technical aspects, they are parts that allow a machine gun conversion without modification of the receiver of the weapon (the firearm itself). The BATF ultimately ruled those parts were machine guns, and several guys/companies became multi millionaires because they had hundreds and hundreds of these parts that they were allowed to sell as machine guns...so a tiny piece of metal that cost $5, your semi auto rifle and about $25,000 (and two years of paperwork) got you a fab say MP5K or an FNC.

 

Auto sears gave you a real machine gun. A bump stock does not. It allows for minimal accuracy, poor trigger control, and potentials for accidental discharge. They had trigger devices that did the same thing. Back in my shooting days, if I saw someone on the range I was using whipout one of those "toys", it was time to go. They are great for noise making and wasting ammo and for a loony, shooting into crowds. Ive shot them under controlled conditions and if I wanted to see bullets hose downrange and hit something, Id go with a Vickers or Maxim instead.

 

But they were fun for the guys who were too poor for the real thing.

 

My motto has always been...you want a machine gun, pay for it. I was always into the older, more historical ones myself rather than just toys anyway.

21 minutes ago, Bluespunk said:

Who the hell needs one of these-apart from psychopaths intent on slaughter?

Lots of folks like to play with them. Even me, Ive shot them. Guess as soon as I picked one up, I became a slavering psycopath intent on slaughter.

 

 

[Bluespunk]

1 minute ago, Nyezhov said:

Lots of folks like to play with them. Even me, Ive shot them. Guess as soon as I picked one up, I became a slavering psycopath intent on slaughter.

 

 

You’ve said all that needs to be said.  
 

Bravo

[Curt1591]

Oh my! And one would have thought with all the nut job, rightwing hacks that have infested the court, machine guns would soon be legal !

Edited March 3, 2020 by Curt1591

[Pedrogaz]

How odd....a conservative Supreme Court doing something  sensible and costing business (those who make dumb stocks) profit.

[Redline]

3 hours ago, Nyezhov said:

Tend to finally agree with you Tug, however, I disagree with the decision allowing the BATF to write the rules (eg Gorsuch).

 

You might recall the same type issue with parts called Auto Sears years ago. Without getting into the technical aspects, they are parts that allow a machine gun conversion without modification of the receiver of the weapon (the firearm itself). The BATF ultimately ruled those parts were machine guns, and several guys/companies became multi millionaires because they had hundreds and hundreds of these parts that they were allowed to sell as machine guns...so a tiny piece of metal that cost $5, your semi auto rifle and about $25,000 (and two years of paperwork) got you a fab say MP5K or an FNC.

 

Auto sears gave you a real machine gun. A bump stock does not. It allows for minimal accuracy, poor trigger control, and potentials for accidental discharge. They had trigger devices that did the same thing. Back in my shooting days, if I saw someone on the range I was using whipout one of those "toys", it was time to go. They are great for noise making and wasting ammo and for a loony, shooting into crowds. Ive shot them under controlled conditions and if I wanted to see bullets hose downrange and hit something, Id go with a Vickers or Maxim instead.

 

But they were fun for the guys who were too poor for the real thing.

 

My motto has always been...you want a machine gun, pay for it. I was always into the older, more historical ones myself rather than just toys anyway.

Lots of folks like to play with them. Even me, Ive shot them. Guess as soon as I picked one up, I became a slavering psycopath intent on slaughter.

 

 

Nice info, but they are not toys, and no need to have them in public hands.  If someone needs a machine type gun to hunt, that’s no challenge.  If people want to shoot rapid rounds, join the military 

[marko kok prong]

Obscene they even launched this appeal

[Nyezhov]

2 hours ago, Redline said:

Nice info, but they are not toys, and no need to have them in public hands.  If someone needs a machine type gun to hunt, that’s no challenge.  If people want to shoot rapid rounds, join the military 

Well that's why machine guns are still legal only for wealthy shooters and collectors, so that the unwashed masses cannot have them. 

[Nyezhov]

6 hours ago, Bluespunk said:

You’ve said all that needs to be said.  
 

Bravo

Never the courage of your convictions lol.

 

6 hours ago, Curt1591 said:

Oh my! And one would have thought with all the nut job, rightwing hacks that have infested the court, machine guns would soon be legal !

They have remained legal since the 1930s. Oh and which of the Supreme Court justices are nut job,right wing hacks?

[Bluespunk]

Just now, Nyezhov said:

Never the courage of your convictions lol.

My convictions don’t require me to own a bump stock. 

[Redline]

7 minutes ago, Nyezhov said:

Well that's why machine guns are still legal only for wealthy shooters and collectors, so that the unwashed masses cannot have them. 

And why drug cartels are awash with them

Edited March 3, 2020 by Redline

[Nyezhov]

22 minutes ago, Redline said:

And why drug cartels are awash with them

Untrue. I bet you you cant find more than  5 cases of legal machine guns used in a crime since the NFA was passed.

 

Cartels obtain their weapons illegally.

[Chomper Higgot]

3 hours ago, Nyezhov said:

Well that's why machine guns are still legal only for wealthy shooters and collectors, so that the unwashed masses cannot have them. 

As with so many other things in life.

[Chomper Higgot]

3 hours ago, Nyezhov said:

Untrue. I bet you you cant find more than  5 cases of legal machine guns used in a crime since the NFA was passed.

 

Cartels obtain their weapons illegally.

Often stolen from people who legally had them.

[Curt1591]

3 hours ago, Nyezhov said:

Never the courage of your convictions lol.

 

They have remained legal since the 1930s. Oh and which of the Supreme Court justices are nut job,right wing hacks?

Machine guns are, as far as the vast majority of people are concerned, illegal. Yes, they can be purchased, but are unaffordable and ownership is extremely restricted.

If one catchs any of the main stream media, one can't help but understand that those damn conservatives are going to bring the end all rights and liberties.

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sarcasm

[Nyezhov]

1 minute ago, Curt1591 said:

Yes, they can be purchased, but are unaffordable and ownership is extremely restricted.

Yeah to rich folks. Maybe thats the way it should be. Disarm the proles.

[Curt1591]

2 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Often stolen from people who legally had them.

It would be a waste of time and energy for the drug cartels.

"Cartels" obtain their weapons through international arms dealers. They offer much better stuff than the few legal machine gun owners. And they are packaged up and delivered in crates!

Just like Amazon !

[gk10002000]

Sad that people are even asking for the overturn.  They are arguing just because they can.  There is no compelling reason for owning such a device.

[Curt1591]

1 hour ago, gk10002000 said:

Sad that people are even asking for the overturn.  They are arguing just because they can.  There is no compelling reason for owning such a device.

Speaking of compelling reason ...

[Redline]

20 hours ago, Nyezhov said:

Untrue. I bet you you cant find more than  5 cases of legal machine guns used in a crime since the NFA was passed.

 

Cartels obtain their weapons illegally.

Either way, cartels don’t buy them wholesale from the manufacturer, they are purchased buy someone, and sold.  If they were illegal to sell to citizens, it would be much more difficult to obtain them.  The same with gangs that often have more firepower than the police.  

[Nyezhov]

4 hours ago, Redline said:

Either way, cartels don’t buy them wholesale from the manufacturer, they are purchased buy someone, and sold.  If they were illegal to sell to citizens, it would be much more difficult to obtain them.  The same with gangs that often have more firepower than the police.  

OK Ill bite.

 

How many legally registered US machine guns have been found in the hands of drug cartels?

 

Answer to my knowledge...none.

 

How many legal machine guns are there in the USA?

 

544,000

 

How many of those legal machine guns have been used in a crime?

 

One to my knowledge. In 70 years.

 

So tell me how doing anything with respect to legal machine guns would affect the cartels?

 

You cant.

 

So as usual, reflexive talking points are more important to facts for folks who are afraid of guns.

[Redline]

23 hours ago, Nyezhov said:

OK Ill bite.

 

How many legally registered US machine guns have been found in the hands of drug cartels?

 

Answer to my knowledge...none.

 

How many legal machine guns are there in the USA?

 

544,000

 

How many of those legal machine guns have been used in a crime?

 

One to my knowledge. In 70 years.

 

So tell me how doing anything with respect to legal machine guns would affect the cartels?

 

You cant.

 

So as usual, reflexive talking points are more important to facts for folks who are afraid of guns.

I have been a hunter, and I was on the rifle team in high school. I have no problem with guns in general.  Any weapon that can fire repetitive and rounds belong in the hands of the hands of law enforcement and the military.  It’s really common sense, if you think about it.  

[Nyezhov]

10 minutes ago, Redline said:

 Any weapon that can fire repetitive and rounds belong in the hands of the hands of law enforcement and the military.  It’s really common sense, if you think about it.  

What's wrong with my hands? 

 

 

What's wrong with the hands of all the others who have them? How many crimes have been committed by the owners?