Cargill: The Supreme Court legalizes bump stocks

Overturning a Trump-era ban on bump stocks is a deadly decision.

The Supreme Court just upheld the Fifth Circuit’s misguided and deadly decision in Garland v. Cargill, overturning a Trump-era ban on bump stocks. We filed an amicus brief in this case, highlighting the stories of survivors like Kari, who survived the mass shooting Route 91 Harvest music festival. But unfortunately, justices decided to ignore us, and enable deadlier mass shootings. Here’s how.

Bump stocks are gun accessories that allow semi-automatic rifles to fire extremely fast. Essentially, they turn semi-automatic rifles into machine guns (which have been regulated since 1934). After a shooter used bump stocks to fire over 1,000 rounds in about ten minutes killing 60 people and injuring nearly 500 at the Route 91 Harvest music festival, Trump’s Department of Justice decided to ban bump stocks. That remains the deadliest mass shooting in American history.

It’s no exaggeration to say young people will die because of this ruling. The Supreme Court has effectively reversed gun safety progress and given mass shooters the easy ability to turn any event or public space into a war zone and mass grave. The justices who voted in favor of this decision will have blood on their hands.

We will not stand for this. We should be able to live freely without fear of gun violence. That’s the future we’re fighting for. And we’re not going to let an extremist and archaic Supreme Court stop us. 

Our work doesn’t stop here, it accelerates. After this ruling, our organizing has become even more critical.