Senate Republicans shut down a Democratic effort to ban bump stocks on Tuesday after the Supreme Court ruled Friday against a Trump-era ATF rule outlawing the device.
The bill would have imposed a federal ban on the sale of bump stocks, which enable a shooter to fire hundreds of rounds per minute with a semi-automatic rifle, according to CNN. While some GOP lawmakers supportted the ban, others have opposed it, arguing the bill would violate the Second Amendment. (RELATED: Supreme Court Strikes Down Bump Stock Ban)
Democratic New Mexico Sen. Martin Heinrich called for unanimous consent to pass the measure on Tuesday
“As a firearms owner myself, there’s no legitimate use for a bump stock – not for self defense, not in a law enforcement context, not even in military applications … but what they are tailor made for is a mass shooting,” he argued.
Republican Nebraska Sen. Pete Ricketts objected to Heinrich’s request, which prevented the bill from moving forward, according to NBC News.
Republican Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell and several other GOP lawmakers backed Ricketts’ objection.
🔥@SenatorRicketts just stopped a backdoor ban on most semiautomatic firearms under the guise of a “bump stock ban.”
Democrats will NEVER stop attacking your Second Amendment rights.👏 pic.twitter.com/knZbltkVNx
— Gun Owners of America (@GunOwners) June 18, 2024
New York Mayor Eric Adams criticized Republicans in a post on Twitter, writing that bump stocks “allow dangerous people to have weapons of war.”
If you say you’re tough on crime, you can’t be weak on guns. Bump stocks allow dangerous people to have weapons of war.
These deadly firearms are still illegal in New York City, but the SCOTUS decision and Congress’s inaction make our country less safe.https://t.co/DgxSHJOB6O
— Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) June 18, 2024
