GOP Senator Blocks Dem Rush to Pass Legislation to Ban Bump Stocks
Well, we knew this was coming. Barely had the echo of the gavel banging in the Supreme Court died down after the Court ruled 6-3 to strike down the Trump-era bump stock ban supported by Biden’s Justice Department, than a Democratic move in the Senate supported by anti-gun overlord Sen. Chuck Schumer attempted to pass legislation that would outlaw the controversial firearms accessory.
CBS News reports the attempt to pass the legislation was spearheaded by Sen. Martin Heinrich, a Democrat from New Mexico, who sought to bring his bill to a vote through unanimous consent, a procedure that allows measures to pass as long as no lawmaker objects. Sen. Pete Ricketts, a Republican from Nebraska, stepped in to block the measure, citing concerns over broader implications for gun rights.
Heinrich argued on the Senate floor that there is “no legitimate use for a bump stock,” equating bump stock-equipped semi-automatic rifles to machine guns, which have been banned for nearly a century. He urged Congress to act based on the Supreme Court’s guidance.
Ricketts, in his objection, labeled the bill as part of a “Democrat summer of show votes” and claimed that it aimed to ban a wide range of firearm accessories, not just bump stocks.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, put down his Father’s Day spatula long enough to criticize Senate Republicans who opposed the ban, recalling their previous support when the Trump administration sought to outlaw bump stocks. Schumer described the ban as “common sense,” a favoite buzzword among anti-gun politicians, which means it rarely ever is anything close to common sense, and then pointed to the one crime where a bump stock was known to be used, albeit a huge one, as he referenced the 2017 Las Vegas shootin
Just last week, the Supreme Court ruled the ATF overstepped its authority with the ban. The court highlighted the technical difference between semi-automatic rifles with bump stocks and machine guns, as the former still require the trigger to be released and reengaged for each shot, unlike the continuous fire of a machine gun.
Justice Clarence Thomas, in the majority opinion, underscored this distinction, stating that a bump stock does not transform a semi-automatic rifle into a machine gun any more than a shooter with a fast trigger finger does. Justice Samuel Alito, while concurring with the decision, suggested that Congress could address the issue through legislation.
Following the Supreme Court decision, President Biden called on Congress to pass a ban on bump stocks, expressing his commitment to sign such a bill into law.
No doubt, the debate over bump stocks will continue to rage on in the halls of Congress as the argument over whether they should be allowed or not is far from over.