Garland v. Cargill: Supreme Court Strikes Down Federal Bump Stock Ban

In June 2024, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in Garland v. Cargill that the ATF exceeded its statutory authority when it classified bump stocks as machine guns under the National Firearms Act.

Justice Thomas, writing for the majority, held that bump stocks do not make a semi-automatic rifle fire automatically as defined by law, since the trigger must function separately for each round fired. The Court struck down the ATF regulation that had been issued in 2018 after the Las Vegas shooting.

As a result, bump stocks became legal to buy and possess in states without their own bans — potentially up to 34 states were affected immediately. The ruling reinforced the principle that regulatory agencies cannot expand criminal statutes beyond their text.