Supreme Court Strikes Down Bump Stock Ban
After 2017 Las Vegas Shooting, Restrictions onBump Stocks Hade bipartisan Support
Legal Battle Over Bump Stocks Expected to Reach High Court
The Supreme Court on Friday struck down a federal ban on bump stocks, a device that allows rifles to fire more rapidly. The ruling comes after a 2017 mass shooting in Las Vegas in which a gunman used a bump stock to kill 58 people and injure hundreds more. In the wake of the shooting, even Republicans called for restrictions on bump stocks.
The ban was approved by former President Donald Trump in 2018, but it was challenged in court by gun rights advocates. The Supreme Court's decision to strike down the ban is a victory for gun rights groups, but it is also likely to reignite the debate over gun control in the United States.
Bump stocks are devices that are attached to the back of a rifle and allow the shooter to fire more rapidly by using the recoil of the gun to bump the trigger. This allows shooters to fire hundreds of rounds per minute, which is much faster than the rate of fire of a standard semi-automatic rifle.
Gun control advocates argue that bump stocks are dangerous and should be banned. They point to the Las Vegas shooting as evidence that bump stocks can be used to inflict mass casualties. Gun rights advocates, on the other hand, argue that bump stocks are legal and that they should not be banned.
The Supreme Court's decision to strike down the bump stock ban is likely to be a major setback for gun control advocates. It is also likely to embolden gun rights groups and lead to more legal challenges to gun control laws.
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