Supreme Court strikes down Trump-era ban on bump stocks, gun accessories used in 2017 massacre
By LINDSAY WHITEHURST Associated Press
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FILE - In this March 15, 2019, file photo, a bump stock is displayed in Harrisonburg, Va. The Supreme Court has agreed to decide whether a ban on gun attachments that allow semi-automatic weapons to fire rapidly like machine guns violates federal law. The justices said Friday they'll hear arguments next year over a gun bump stocks regulation the Justice Department implemented after the 2017 Las Vegas mass shooting. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, File)FILE - In this March 15, 2019, file photo, a bump stock is displayed in Harrisonburg, Va. The Supreme Court has agreed to decide whether a ban on gun attachments that allow semi-automatic weapons to fire rapidly like machine guns violates federal law. The justices said Friday they'll hear arguments next year over a gun bump stocks regulation the Justice Department implemented after the 2017 Las Vegas mass shooting. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, File)
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Friday struck down a Trump-era ban on bump stocks, a gun accessory that allows semi-automatic weapons to fire rapidly like machine guns and was used in the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history.
The high court found 6-3 the Trump administration did not follow federal law when it reversed course and banned bump stocks after a gunman in Las Vegas attacked a country music festival with assault rifles in 2017. He fired more than 1,000 rounds in the crowd in 11 minutes, leaving 60 people dead and injuring hundreds more.
A Texas gun shop owner challenged the ban, arguing the Justice Department wrongly classified the accessories as illegal machine guns.
The Biden administration said that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives made the right choice for the accessories that can allow weapons to fire at a rate of hundreds of rounds a minute.
