Trump banned bump stocks after deadly Las Vegas shooting. Now the issue is in the Supreme Court's hands
Experts say the Supreme Court may be waiting for additional lower court rulings before wading into the question of whether bump stocks count as machine guns under federal law.
John Fritze- A Supreme Court case challenging the bump stock ban has been rescheduled for consideration 20 times.
- The Biden administration has urged the high court not to hear the challenge to the Trump-era ban.
- Gun rights groups fear the ban could open the door to other gun regulations.
WASHINGTON – Five years ago, a retired postal worker on the 32nd floor of a Las Vegas hotel carried out the deadliest mass shooting in American history, reopening a debate over a device known as a bump stock that turns a semi-automatic rifle into something closer to a machine gun.
Within a few months then-President Donald Trump moved to ban bump stocks through regulation, asserting the policy would "make it easier for men and women of law enforcement to protect our children and to protect our safety."
Now two legal challenges to the Trump administration’s prohibition are pending at the Supreme Court – including one that has been rescheduled for consideration 20 times. The lack of a decision about whether or not the court will hear the litigation has led to speculation among experts who follow the issue closely that the court’s 6-3 conservative majority may not agree on how to proceed.
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