On Friday, the Supreme Court once more narrowed the power of the government to protect the American people from gun violence. In a 6-3 decision, split along ideological lines, the justices invalidated a rule adopted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives that prohibited a device, bump stocks, that effectively turns semiautomatic rifles into machine guns.
As Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in her dissent on Friday, “When I see a bird that walks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, I call that bird a duck.” Unfortunately, the court, in a majority opinion written by Justice Clarence Thomas, decided minute differences in bump stock weapons and machine guns mean the ATF lacked the authority to adopt its rule.
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