Vegas survivors decry Supreme Court's decision on bump stocks

Vegas survivors decry Supreme Court decision

What you probably already know: The Supreme Court in a 6-3 opinion on Friday struck down former President Donald Trump’s ban on bump stocks, which allow shooters to turn guns into automatic weapons that can shoot hundreds of rounds per minute. The man who shot and killed 60 people and wounded 400 in the Las Vegas shooting, the deadliest in U.S. history, used a bump stock. The Supreme Court said the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives overstepped its authority to ban the device.

Why? Bump stocks essentially turn semi-automatic weapons into machine guns, which have been banned in the U.S. since the 1930s. The Supreme Court’s decision hinges around the government’s argument that a bump stock turns a gun into a machine gun, and thus is illegal. The court felt there was enough of a distinction that bump stocks were not technically machine guns, thus not subject to the ban. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Sunday he plans to bring a bump stock ban to a vote as soon as possible.

What it means: Some survivors of the Vegas shooting have called the court’s decision “another slap in the face” and many have lost faith that the government will ever take action to try to stop gun violence. While many states, including California, Connecticut, D.C., Delaware, Florida, New York, Virginia and Washington, have bump stock bans in place at the state level, the devices will now be available for purchase again in many states.

What happens now? Survivors of gun violence continue to work to enact state and national bans on the weapons that enable mass shooters to kill as many people as they can. “This decision is a major blow to any progress we’ve made in gun responsibility across our country,” said Seattle native Emily Cantrell, who survived the Vegas shooting. But that’s not stopping her from trying. That’s how she processes her survivor’s guilt and PTSD: By taking action. “I will always continue this advocacy work and keep fighting for gun responsibility,” Cantrell said.

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