Schumer Proposes Senate Vote to Outlaw Bump Stocks

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has announced plans to hold a vote on legislation to ban gun bump stocks following the Supreme Court’s decision to invalidate a previous ban.

“The Senate has the opportunity to reinstate this public safety measure, and next week, we will make an attempt. As majority leader, I have the authority to allow a unanimous consent vote, and we will soon see the response from Republican lawmakers: Will they support it or succumb to pressure from certain groups and jeopardize the safety of the American public?” Schumer stated on Sunday.

In a 6-3 ruling, the Supreme Court upheld a lower court’s decision in favor of Michael Cargill, a gun shop owner from Austin, Texas, who challenged the bump stock ban. These devices allow semi-automatic rifles to fire rapidly like machine guns.

The dissenting opinions came from the court’s liberal minority.

“Legislation is the only way to permanently close this loophole,” Schumer commented following the ruling. “Bump stocks have been a significant factor in many tragic mass shootings in our country, and it is disappointing to see the Supreme Court overturn this crucial public safety measure as part of their extreme agenda. They are even more conservative than Donald Trump.”

Schumer has scheduled a series of votes in the Senate to support incumbents facing challenges and create divisions among Republicans on key issues.

President Joe Biden, who criticized the Supreme Court ruling on Friday, has pledged to sign a bill banning bump stocks immediately if it reaches his desk.

“Americans should not have to live in fear of such devastating events,” Biden remarked.

The bump stock ban was put in place by the Trump administration in 2017 following a mass shooting at a Las Vegas concert that resulted in the deaths of 60 people.