Supreme Court set to potentially redefine Second Amendment following bump stock decision, according to Sen. Murphy.
Most recent firearm decisions from the Supreme Court, as discussed with CNN's Jake Tapper on "State of the Union," indicate its readiness to "permanently strip Congress of its power to enforce basic gun regulations, such as requiring background checks or removing dangerous weapons like AR-15s from the streets."
"So I think this court is aiming to make it challenging for Congress or state legislatures to regulate firearms and ensure our communities and schools remain safe," Murphy stated.
The Supreme Court's reversal of the federal ban on bump stocks represents the latest conservative opinion to loosen firearm restrictions.
Former President Donald Trump advocated for the ban in response to a 2017 mass shooting that claimed 58 lives at a Las Vegas outdoor music festival. However, it was overturned by a Texas gun store owner who purchased two such devices in 2018 and handed them over to the authorities after the prohibition, then filed a lawsuit to reclaim them.
Bump stocks enable a shooter to transform a semi-automatic rifle into a weapon capable of firing hundreds of rounds per minute.
"This is a Republican administration that enforced the ban on bump stocks. At the time, Republicans in the Senate and the House were in agreement. But now that they have a Supreme Court seemingly eager to dismantle the entirety of the Second Amendment and remove from Congress or the executive branch the ability to keep our communities safe, they're once again aligning with the gun industry," the Connecticut Democrat expressed on Sunday.
Murphy's remarks mirror the stance of gun control advocacy groups, which contended on Friday that the court's ruling will have a devastating impact in a nation beset by gun violence.
Conversely, the majority of Republicans cheered the court's decision, maintaining that they have long considered the ban on bump stocks to be unconstitutional. While the action was taken during the Trump administration, many Republicans argued it was misguided at the time.
GOP Sen. Tom Cotton informed Tapper in a separate interview on Sunday that the bump stock ban "comes close" to violating the Second Amendment. "I would propose that before we restrict the rights of law-abiding American citizens, we should focus on combating violent crime and gang crimes," he said.
Although the case didn't rely on the Second Amendment, it did reignite the gun debate in the court, putting it back on the docket for one of the most scrutinized controversies this year. In this sense, the decision was another from the high court to side with gun rights groups.
However, Murphy – who has dedicated his life to gun safety legislation since the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut – pointed to descending urban gun homicide rates as a reason for optimism.
"We have plenty of work to do to ensure that another tragedy like Sandy Hook never occurs, that every child gets the chance to graduate. But we have some reason to believe that this country is beginning to turn a corner and change our laws in a way that protects our kids and families," he said.
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The Supreme Court's decision to overturn the federal ban on bump stocks could potentially lead to the court permanently stripping Congress of its power to enforce firearm regulations. The case didn't directly rely on the Second Amendment, but it reignited the gun debate in the court and was another decision from the high court to side with gun rights groups.
