The US Supreme Court lifts ban on weapon modifications

On Friday, the US Supreme Court made a significant decision by lifting the federal ban on modifying firearms to enable a higher rate of fire. The Court’s ruling, with six votes to three, stated that the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) overstepped its authority in 2018 by categorizing the controversial weapon accessory known as “bump stocks” as light machine guns, which were banned by law since 1934.

Judge Clarence Thomas explained that the classification of a semi-automatic rifle with a ‘bump stock’ as a light machine gun was incorrect because it does not allow firing more than one shot with a single press of the trigger. This ruling stems from a law enacted in 1934, well before the invention of bump stock accessories.

The case was brought to light following the tragic massacre in Las Vegas on October 1, 2017, where 58 people were killed and over 500 were injured. Many of the rifles used in the shooting had bump stocks attached, allowing them to fire at an accelerated rate of up to nine rounds per second.

In response to the Las Vegas shooting and a similar incident at a school in Florida shortly after, the Trump administration pledged to ban bump stocks. In December of the same year, the ATF declared bump stocks as light machine guns, giving owners 90 days to surrender or destroy them.

This decision by the Supreme Court has sparked discussions and debates about gun control and regulations in the United States. It remains a controversial and sensitive topic that continues to be scrutinized by lawmakers, activists, and the general public.