Garland_v._Cargill
Garland v. Cargill
Pending United States Supreme Court case
Garland v. Cargill, (Docket No. 22-976), is a pending United States Supreme Court case regarding bump stocks.[1] The court will decide whether bump stocks are "machineguns" as defined by Title 26 of the United States Code.[2]
 | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (November 2023) |
| Garland v. Cargill | |
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| Argued February 28, 2024 | |
| Full case name | Merrick B. Garland, Attorney General, et al. v. Michael Cargill |
| Docket no. | 22-976 |
| Case history | |
| Prior |
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| Questions presented | |
| Whether a bump stock device is a "machinegun" as defined in 26 U.S.C. 5845(b) because it is designed and intended for use in converting a rifle into a machinegun, i.e., into a weapon that fires "automatically more than one shot * * * by a single function of the trigger." | |
| Court membership | |
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A bump stock is a gun stock designed to facilitate the process of bump firing. Bump firing is the practice of using the recoil of a semiautomatic firearm to mimic fully automatic fire. Following the 2017 Las Vegas Shooting, where the shooter was found to have made use of bump stocks, the legality of these attachments has been challenged at the state and federal level. In 2018, following the Las Vegas Shooting and the Parkland High School shooting, the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) published an opinion stating that bump stocks were "machine guns" and thus banned by federal law.
Respondent Michael Cargill, owner of Central Texas Gun Works[3] purchased two bump stocks in April 2018, a few months before the ATF published its new rule. On March 25, 2019, Cargill surrendered his bump stocks to the ATF. The same day, he filed suit in the Western District of Texas challenging the rule. Following a bench trial, the judge ruled in favor of the government. A three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit affirmed the judgment. Following additional briefing and argument, the en banc court reversed and remanded. On remand, the District Court entered judgment for Cargill.[4]
On April 6, 2023, the Attorney General petitioned the court for a writ of certiorari. The court granted the petition on November 3. Oral arguments were heard on February 28, 2024.[5]
- Liptak, Adam (November 11, 2023). "A Rare Trump Gun Control Measure Faces a Supreme Court Test". New York Times.
- Quinn, Melissa (November 3, 2023). "Supreme Court agrees to hear case over ban on bump stocks for firearms". CBS News. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
- "Petition for a Writ of Certiorari" (PDF). April 6, 2023. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
- Fritze, John; Cole, Devan (28 February 2024). "Takeaways from the Supreme Court arguments over bump stocks and machine guns". CNN. Retrieved 9 April 2024.