Welcome to a weekly series here on Pew Pew Tactical dedicated to the gun news you need to know.
So, keep reading for this week’s notable news headlines…
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Supreme Court Debates Future of Bump Stock Ban
The Bump Stock Ban finally saw its day in the High Court as arguments began to decide the fate of the firearm accessories.
At the center of the debate is a Trump Administration ruling that bump-stock-equipped firearms fall under the definition of a machine gun. The firearm accessories, which are affixed to the rear of a rifle and allow the user to use the recoil of a semi-auto gun to fire it more rapidly, came to national attention after a mass shooting involving one at a Las Vegas country music festival in 2017.
The Supreme Court was asked in 2019 to block enforcement of the bump stock ban but declined. Now, five years later, the High Court has teed up to officially weigh in on whether bump stocks convert semi-auto firearms into machineguns under ATF definitions.
During oral arguments, justices on both sides of the political spectrum questioned whether the almost 100-year-old law banning machine gun ownership by the general public could be interpreted to also include firearms accessories.
But after an hour and a half of questioning, the court seemed divided on the matter.
Justice Brett Kavanaugh said the ban might “ensnare” otherwise law-abiding Americans.
“Even if you’re not aware of the legal prohibition, you can be convicted,” Kavanaugh said. “That’s going to ensnare a lot of people who are not aware of the legal prohibition.”
Conservative Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Neil Gorsuch also questioned why the matter wasn’t decided by Congress, instead coming from the Trump Administration and now backed by the Biden Administration.
“Intuitively, I am entirely sympathetic to your argument. I mean, it seems like, yes, this is functioning like a machine gun would,” Barrett said. But she then questioned why Congress wasn’t involved in the decision-making “to make this cover it more clearly.”
“I can certainly understand why these items should be made illegal, but we’re dealing with a statute that was enacted in the 1930s,” Gorsuch explained. “And through many administrations, the government took the position that these bump stocks are not machine guns.”
Liberal Justice Elena Kagan said the court shouldn’t focus on who made the ban but rather use common sense when assessing the firearms accessories.
“It functions in precisely the same way,” Kagan said. “And a torrent of bullets comes out, and this is in the heartland of what they were concerned about, which is anything that takes just a little human action to produce more than one shot.”
While the bump stock ban is argued, bump stocks remain banned nationwide, according to the ATF. Even if the Supreme Court overturns the ban, 18 states have already enacted restrictions on the devices that prohibit ownership.
Tax Breaks for Gun Buyers Get Green Light in Georgia House
Georgia residents may soon be able to see some money back on purchases like gun safes, trigger locks, and training thanks to a bipartisan bill that recently passed the House and heads to the state Senate.
Introduced by Rep. Mark Newton (R-Augusta), House Bill 971 aims to encourage responsible gun ownership among state residents through tax incentives, namely, up to a $300 tax credit for storage devices or gun safety classes.
Newton said that legislators want to encourage safe and responsible gun usage among constituents.
“It allows them to obtain that firearm training and also to purchase a firearm safe storage device that will allow them to keep the firearm both readily accessible and also secure from children, but even more important, especially from criminal theft, which is fueling much of the gang-related shootings we hear about almost daily,” Newton explained to the Georgia Recorder.
The bill was a bipartisan effort, with Democrats jumping on board to push the bill through the House.
“This body is on the cusp of demonstrating something remarkable,” Rep. Michelle Au (D- Johns Creek) said. “I just want to take a moment to realize that. Just to show that there is a way forward on addressing the issue of gun violence in our communities. Incentivizing secure storage and personal responsibility is something we can agree on. It’s something we can get done together. And it’s a way that we can show that this body and the state can lead on the issue.”
The bill now makes its way to the state Senate.
Iowa Legislation Clears Path for Armed Educators
Iowa teachers may soon be able to carry in classrooms as the House passed a bill that would grant school employees permits to carry guns on school property.
The bill, Iowa House File 2586, would set aside funding for school resource officers or private security guards for schools as well as allow educators to complete a training program with the Iowa Department of Public Safety to receive a professional carry license. This license would then allow school employees to carry firearms on school grounds.
Proponents of the bill say that the increased presence of firearms would ward off potential school shooters and better protect students.
“All I’m asking is to give those people a chance to go home to their families, unlike the Perry principal,” David Smith, superintendent at the Spirit Lake Community School District, said during a subcommittee hearing on the bill.
But students don’t seem sure of the bill, speaking out against the provision during the same subcommittee meeting.
“Provisions of qualified immunity to armed school personnel raises concerns about accountability and oversight, further undermining the bill’s efficacy and potential for unintended consequences,” Hannah Hays, a senior at Roosevelt High School, told legislators.
“I can tell you that adding more guns to schools is not going to make me safer. Making schools a warzone is not going to make me feel safer.”
Issues related to insurance liabilities were also raised by those opposed to the bill.
Though the House passed the measure, it still needs to gain favor in the Iowa Senate before heading to the governor’s desk.
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Training and arming teachers does not make a school a war zone. The nut jobs who come in to shoot up the school make the school a war zone.