Senate GOP Blocks Bump Stock Ban After Supreme Court Ruling

Senate Republicans blocked a bill on Tuesday that would have reinstated a ban on bump stocks, a policy struck down by the Supreme Court last week. The legislation, which aimed to ban devices that enable semiautomatic guns to fire rapidly, was rejected under a procedure requiring unanimous consent. Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., sought the Senate’s consent to pass the bill, but at least one Republican, Sen. Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., objected, leading to the bill’s blockage.

Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., had indicated earlier in the day that GOP senators would prevent the bill from advancing, despite some bipartisan support, including from Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, who co-sponsored the bill.

Opponents of the ban argued that it should not be a matter for federal legislation. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., referred to it as a “states issue,” while Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, questioned whether Congress should be “legislating in a way that solves fake problems?”

Supporters of the ban contended that bump stocks effectively turn semiautomatic firearms into machine guns by allowing a shooter’s finger to repeatedly hit the trigger at high speed. However, the Supreme Court disagreed, stating that firearms equipped with bump stocks do not meet the legal definition of a machine gun. Consequently, the Trump-era executive branch officials did not have the authority to ban the devices under laws passed by Congress.

In a statement on the Senate floor, Sen. Heinrich emphasized the lack of law enforcement, military, or self-defense applications for bump stocks, describing them as “tailor-made for mass shootings.”

The Trump campaign expressed respect for the Supreme Court’s decision and highlighted Trump’s support for Second Amendment rights following the ruling.

The Republican Party’s change of stance on the bump stock ban occurred after the National Rifle Association also reversed its previous opposition to the devices and filed a brief with the Supreme Court supporting the lifting of restrictions.

The ban on bump stocks was originally enacted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in 2018, following their use in the 2017 mass shooting at a Las Vegas music festival. The gunman used a bump stock to fire more than 1,000 bullets in 11 minutes, resulting in 60 deaths and over 850 injuries, marking it as the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history. The Supreme Court’s ruling sided with a Texas gun shop owner, Michael Cargill, who argued that the ATF had overstepped its authority in implementing the ban. The court voted 6-3 to lift the ban, with the three liberal justices dissenting.