Supreme Court to Hear Challenge to Trump-Era Bump Stock Ban Following Las Vegas Massacre

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court is set to hear a challenge to a Trump-era ban on bump stocks, a gun accessory used in the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history at the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival in Las Vegas in 2017. The ban, which reclassified bump stocks as machine guns, was implemented after a gunman equipped with bump stocks fired over 1,000 rounds into a crowd, killing 60 people and injuring hundreds more.

The case before the Supreme Court was brought by a Texas gun shop owner, Michael Cargill, who argues that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives overstepped its authority in imposing the ban. Cargill purchased two bump stocks in 2018 and turned them over to the ATF after the ban was finalized, then sued the agency.

The Biden administration is defending the ban, stating that bump stocks should be classified as machine guns under laws dating back decades. Advocates for the ban, such as Marisa Marano, a survivor of the Las Vegas shooting and a volunteer for Moms Demand Action, believe that the ban is a common-sense measure to prevent future tragedies.

The case offers a test for the conservative supermajority on the Supreme Court to define the limits of gun restrictions in the wake of mass shootings. The justices will consider whether bump stocks fall under the legal definition of machine guns and whether the ATF had the authority to impose the ban. A decision is expected by early summer, with implications for gun regulations moving forward.