The U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments in the Garland v. Cargill case, which involves a federal ban on bump stocks, devices that can convert semi-automatic rifles into fully automatic weapons.
The ban was implemented following a mass shooting in Las Vegas. Gun rights groups claim the ban violates the Second Amendment, arguing that the definition of a machine gun was broadened.
The Supreme Court will hear a case regarding New York State’s blacklisting of the National Rifle Association (NRA), which the NRA claims violates the First Amendment.
“When ATF first considered the legality of bump stocks over twenty years ago, it correctly concluded that they do not qualify as ‘machineguns,’” the brief read.
“Yet in 2018, in the face of acute political pressure, the agency reversed course and adopted a new definition of the term that encompasses the bump stocks at issue. Petitioners’ defense of that newfound interpretation either ignores the statute Congress enacted or seeks to rewrite it.”
“This is a historic step forward for the NRA, its millions of members, and all who believe in the freedom of speech,” former NRA CEO & EVP Wayne LaPierre said.
“The NRA’s fight continues – this time in the highest court in the land. At a time when free speech is under attack as never before, we believe the Supreme Court will send a message to government officials that they cannot use intimidation tactics to silence those with whom they disagree.”
These cases are significant for gun rights and free speech.
