Alito Affirms Congress’s Authority to Address Bump Stocks

Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito discussed the possibility of Congress amending the law to effectively ban bump stocks after the high court’s ruling to strike down a federal ban on the devices approved by former President Donald Trump and supported by President Joe Biden with a 6-3 vote.

In a dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor warned of “deadly consequences” following the decision.

The ban on bump stocks was proposed by Trump after a gunman in Las Vegas used assault rifles equipped with these accessories during an attack on a country music festival in 2017.

Alito emphasized the need for congressional action to address the issue, stating, “There is a simple remedy for the disparate treatment of bump stocks and machineguns. Congress can amend the law,”

The ban was challenged by a Texas gun store owner who had to return two bump stocks purchased in 2018 after the ban was put in place.

The conservative majority of the Supreme Court found that the Trump administration exceeded its authority in banning bump stocks.

In her dissenting opinion, Sotomayor criticized the decision to allow bump stocks back in civilian hands as it goes against Congress’s definition of ‘machinegun’.

The majority opinion, written by Justice Clarence Thomas, argued that bump stocks do not transform semiautomatic rifles into illegal machineguns since they do not alter the basic mechanics of firing.

Sotomayor disagreed with this reasoning, stating that the decision allows gun users and manufacturers to bypass federal law.

This report includes information from the Associated Press.