What are bump stocks? The US Supreme Court rules ban is unlawful

Bump stocks have been banned for seven years, but a recent ruling from the Supreme Court has overturned that decision. The use of bump stocks in mass shootings had raised concerns about their role in gun violence, hence their original ban by the Trump administration back in 2017.

The Court found the ban, which was filed under the decision that these weapons were now machine guns, already banned under federal legislation, was unlawful.

How do bump stocks work?

Bump stocks convert semi-automatic rifles (one pull of the trigger equals one shot) into continuously firing weapons, called automatic. This is achieved by attaching the stock to the rifle, which substitutes the standard rifle stock.

The bump stock slides back and forth, capitalising on the recoil felt when the firearm discharges. The shooter keeps their trigger finger stationary while maintaining forward pressure on the barrel and backward pressure on the pistol grip during firing. This enables the rifle to fire at a much faster rate than it would usually be able to.

A semi-automatic rifle, like an AR-15, fires around 60 rounds a minute. However, a bump stock can convert this up to 400-800 rounds a minute (rpm). For some context, this is faster than the US Second World War machine guns at 600 rpm and only marginally slower than the infamously quick-firing MG-42, nicknamed “Hitler’s Buzzsaw”, at 1,200 rpm.

Mass shootings where bump stocks have been used

Bump stocks have been used in several high-profile mass shootings, including the 2017 Las Vegas Route 91 Harvest Festival, where 58 people were killed and more than 500 injured. The gunman, Stephen Paddock, used 14 rifles equipped with bump stocks to carry out the attack.