If there is one sociological trend that i’ve seen in my lifetime which has utterly baffled me, it is government genuflecting to the gun manufacturing industry. This is a social sickness, if not a social disease, this elevation of the right to own military weapons above all common sense. A firearm for the protection of the home is fine. I’ve owned guns. I’ve known plenty of responsible gun owners. But when I speak of a “gun” I speak of a handgun. Or a shotgun. Nobody needs an AR-15 or other military grade weapon but that’s precisely where the conversation derails.
You’re aware of the Supreme Court handing down the Garland v. Cargill decision, which considered whether the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) correctly determined that a device that dramatically increases the speed at which a semiautomatic weapon fires bullets, called a bump stock, could be prohibited under the law, originally passed in 1934, that outlawed machine guns. By a 6–3 vote, the Supreme Court said the ATF did not make that decision correctly and that bump stocks were not banned under the law.
The bump stock issue is near and dear to many Nevadans since 2017 when a gunman used them to fire up to 1,000 rounds of ammunition in 11 minutes at a music festival, massacring 58 people, and wounding 413 — two of whom died later for a total of 60. Then there was Parkland the next year, where Nikolas Cruz killed 17 people and injured 17 others at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Trump hadn’t been in office long but he said that he had instructed then-AG Jeff Sessions to write regulations on bump stocks, in wake of the Nevada mass shooting the previous year.
Heather Cox Richardson points out, “A Pew poll from June 2023—when bump stocks were illegal—showed that 64% of Americans want assault-style weapons banned altogether, as they were between 1994 and 2004. But Republicans have increasingly fetishized guns as a symbol of individualism, and Republican senators have kept most gun safety legislation at bay by weaponizing the filibuster, which means that any legislation must have not simply a 51-vote majority to pass the Senate, but 60 votes.”
The SCOTUS decision obsessed on the difference between a bump stock and a machine gun but that’s not the point. The point is that people are sick to death of these tragedies caused by unhinged people having easy access to weapons of war. With that preamble, take a look at this.
Trump VP contender Byron Donalds: “A bump stock does not cause anybody to be shot in the United States”
(The 2017 Las Vegas shooter used a bump stock to fire more than 1,000 rounds, kill 60 people, and wound 413 others in just ten minutes) pic.twitter.com/4hfB2EmIbC
— Biden-Harris HQ (@BidenHQ) June 15, 2024
Excellent point, my dudette.
I assume that those 4.,400,000 car accidents a year are often intentional, and that car companies have gone out of their way to increase the number of accidents a car can get into per second. Right?
Cause if not the comparison would be kinda stupid.
— Rob Grier (@tila_the_hun) June 15, 2024
the top tweet ends, “We’re still allowed to drive. Infringing on constitutional rights is unconstitutional. SCOTUS said so.” I would love to know where this stat of 4.4 million women *causing* accidents come from. If this isn’t complete bullshit I don’t know what is.
I do not know what this madness in America is. As far as I can understand it, if the crazies have guns then we need to arm ourselves to the hilt to fight the crazies. That is one argument I’ve heard. Another is that we all need to be prepared in the case of a fascist takeover. That’s an excuse for more guns in America than there are people. But none of these arguments hold water when the reality of a mentally unhinged person popping his or her lid leads to another mass shooting and then we go through the thots and preyers cycle and nothing ever changes.
But this ruling, the timing of it, may change some votes in Nevada. Obviously, I am speculating. But I truly do not think that this is a popular ruling or is going to move many votes to the pro-Trump column. Or the pro-Republican column.
Just how, exactly, does a bump stock allow a disabled person to operate an AR-15? The thing is semi-automatic – cock it once, pull the trigger and it fires and re-cocks. All a bump stock does is to let it keep firing with one trigger press. It will jump all over the place so a disabled person would have problems actually hitting what they were aiming at.
That is FULLY AUTOMATIC – not ‘semi automaic’. The only difference is that, unlike modern military weapons, it’s recoil operated and not gas operated.
Please note – I have NO firearms at all (not even a .177 air gun) but I do know how they work
By that ruling a Thompson or a ‘grease gun’ would be legal as they are also recoil operated
Expecting the idiots on the s.c. to understand the mechanics of any firearm is beyond silly. Dumbass alito gets his ideas about human reproduction from some other dumbass who was demonstrating how to insane back in the 16th century f.f.s. These fools think modern firearms and a bow and arrow are exactly alike.
Judging by the total lack of anything approaching intelligence by the six fools on the s.c., I’ve come to the conclusion that a JD is about as difficult to obtain as the toy in a box of Cracker Jacks.
For all their crying about ‘the original intention of the founding fathers they overlook a couple of things:
Franklin, Hancock, et al wouldn’t have been able to conceive of a firearm that could fire faster than 5 rounds per minute. Also the second amendment does NOT say ‘the right to bear firearms’ – it says ‘bear ARMS’.
Now ‘arms’ in the 18th Century meaning included bladed weapons – but see how far you can get wearing a sword or carrying a 10 foot pike before some cop hauls you off and you appear in front of a judge (where’s the National Sharp, pointy thing Association when you need them??)
Don’t forget that, for some inexplicable reason, if you’re found transporting a nuclear bomb (which qualifies as “arms”–either that or the vaunted “arms race” was being wildly misinterpreted for decades), you’re going to have a VERY difficult time pleading your 2nd Amendment rights (though I really doubt that even the right-wing doofi on the Supreme Court are willing to expand the 2nd Amendment’s definition of “arms” to include nukes).
Never underestimate the stupidity of thomas, alito, and the rest of the cons on the s.c. They did not pay any attention to original intent for this bump stock thing, I seriously doubt they would pay any more attention to it if a nuclear device was the “arms”. They are looking at the the future, near future at that, when Von Shitzinpants loses again. This time they want weapons to kill or cow the citizens so they can install their useful idiot in the w.h. A nuclear device, a dirty bomb, would scare a whole lot of people into compliance. Watching a bunch of yahoos start firing on crowds with these f*cking bump stock equipped rifles would probably do the same thing.
There is a reason I have firearms (well, several actually): if the yahoos get out of line where I live I will shoot their fool heads off. Funny thing-when you’re busy shooting a crowd of people, you are not paying attention to the people behind/above you putting the bead on your head. I am by far not the only progressive in mt who feels this way and therefore owns firearms. Not by a long shot. We just keep them locked up until they are needed (we live the safe storage thing like responsible firearm owners). That might be this November. I’ve seen a lot of stupidity in mt so I NEVER underestimate just how moronic republican voters are up here.
On a plus side for this story is that I read the Governor of Nevada has already vowed that the STATE’S ban on bump stocks will NOT change. (Cannot wait for THAT fight between “states’ rights” and the right-wing SCOTUS wildly “generous” view on the Second Amendment to happen.)
The new problem is that it doesn’t stop a nut job coming into our State.
It seems to be a disease of the GOP in general, because of Don Shitzinpants’s inability to think like an adult, hell, he never acts like one either, the GOP is floating big claims against Biden and his son … Even OUR Grassley, was at the crappy meeting with Don the Con at the Capitol …
He should just go home and mow his yard, what a stinking thing to do where people were killed defending the Capitol building, letting the snake get that close to the place where his word was all it took to cause all the damages and deaths there at that place, then clapping their hands and drooling all over DJT as usual …
An un-curable blight has struck the GOP, they all need to be charged with their support of and enabling actions and serious damage by Trump, who has proved over and over, he cannot stop the lies, stupidity beyond belief is at the center of his continued failings …
I think the judge in Trump’s latest trial, should just slam trump in jail for all his GAG ORDER fails and charge him as a clear and present danger to our citizens and Constitution, as a convicted criminal, what excuse could he present that would prevent some time in jail ? …
He may have lost a number of Magats with his continued deuteriation during wild rants and labored speech problems … With the massive firepower of an AR-15, a wad of ammo stuck in a large size magazine, it only takes ONE debased Magat, to kill and maim hundreds of citizens, as seen in Vegas, with a bump stock, now considered legal, those numbers could be easily expanded …
LOCK HIM UP !! Grassley, get the hell out of OUR Congress, you and your miss-fit gang of Republicans, just stained the beautiful Capitol with more exposure to Shitzinpants Himself … There are no words to describe how shameful your actions have become …
The only justification for it would be to test it out at the RNC since it would benefit the world to demonstrate to the fascists they too can be killed in a mass shooting. It ain’t just for elementary school children, high school kids, church goers, black and brown people everywhere…and so on and so forth. Don’t worry mutherfuckers…I’ll be sure to offer ‘thoughts and prayers’ once I’m sure you are dead.