The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) reclassified bump stocks as machine guns, effectively banning them. This decision formed the basis of the legal battle.
ATF Overreach
Justice Clarence Thomas delivered the court’s opinion, arguing that the devices don’t convert rifles into fully automatic machine guns, as defined by federal law. The law specifically states a machine gun must be capable of firing “more than one shot by a single function of the trigger.”
Justice Sonia Sotomayor, in a dissenting opinion, expressed deep concern about the potential consequences of the ruling, stating it could have “deadly consequences.”
The court ultimately ruled that the ATF overstepped its authority by enacting the ban. This distinction between a rule and a law proved crucial. The court emphasized it was overturning a rule, not a federal law.
The court held that “ATF exceeded its statutory authority by issuing a Rule that classifies a bump stock as a “machinegun” under §5845(b).”
And in “(a) A semiautomatic rifle equipped with a bump stock is not a “machinegun” as defined by §5845(b) because: (1) it cannot fire more than one shot “by a single function of the trigger” and (2) even if it could, it would not do so “automatically.” ATF therefore exceeded its statutory authority by issuing a Rule that classifies bump stocks as machineguns.”
