The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) exceeded its statutory authority by classifying bump stocks as machine guns. This decision has sparked reactions from various quarters, including Nick Wilson, senior director for Gun Violence Prevention at the Center for American Progress.
Wilson expressed strong disapproval of the ruling, stating, "This outrageous ruling is the latest example of how extreme and out of touch the current Supreme Court has become." He emphasized that the ban on bump stocks was implemented by President Donald Trump following a mass shooting in 2017 where one individual used 14 guns equipped with bump stocks to fire over a thousand rounds in 11 minutes, resulting in 58 deaths and more than 500 injuries at a Las Vegas music festival.
Wilson further elaborated on the nature of bump stocks, noting that they increase a weapon’s fire rate at the expense of accuracy. He argued that these devices are not suitable for sport shooting or self-defense but are instead designed to enable indiscriminate firing into crowds. "These rapid-fire devices make it easy to fire indiscriminately into a crowd and have no place on our store shelves," he stated.
He also criticized federal judges for overruling expert executive branch agencies like the ATF on critical public safety policies. According to Wilson, "Today’s ruling will lead to the proliferation of new and powerful rapid-fire devices that will make mass shootings more deadly." He called on Congress to take immediate action to amend the law to expressly ban bump stocks.
For additional information or expert commentary, Sam Hananel can be contacted at [email protected]
