Supreme Court overturns Trump-era wholesale stock ban, sparking heated reactions

AUSTIN, Texas — The Supreme Court on Friday struck down a Trump-era ban on semi-automatic firearms, the same rapid-fire weapon accessory used in the 2017 Las Vegas mass shooting – the world's largest mass shooting deadliest in modern US history.

In a 6-3 majority opinion in Garland v. Cargill authored by Justice Clarence Thomas, the Court concluded that an attached bump stock does not make the weapon a machine gun, although bump stocks allow semi-automatic weapons to fire hundreds of rounds per minute. minute.

The Supreme Court “outrageously overturned” the ban in that vote, according to U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX).

After the decision was announced, Doggett took to social media, saying: “By effectively turning a semi-automatic rifle into a machine gun, it is now easier to quickly kill as many people as possible.” »

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton had a different view on overturning the ban put into effect following the Las Vegas shooting, calling the ban “lawless” and overturning “major victory for Second Amendment rights.”

State Sen. Roland Gutierrez (D-San Antonio), who has been vocal about his position on gun reform, is calling on Congress to act immediately.

“We don’t need machine guns in our communities,” Gutierrez said. “We cannot have another tragedy like the Las Vegas massacre that left 60 people dead and more than 400 injured because an activist court prioritized private profit over people. »

State Sen. Sarah Eckhardt (Austin Democrat), who also posted on social media following the ruling, said, “Even Republicans agree that bull stocks should be banned. »

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