June 14, 2024

STATE SENATOR CECI MAHER ISSUES STATEMENT FOLLOWING SUPREME COURT BUMP STOCK DECISION

Today, State Senator Ceci Maher (D-Wilton) released the following statement in response to the Supreme Court’s action to strike down a federal ban on bump stocks, a firearm component that can be used to significantly increase the firing rate of a semiautomatic rifle:

“It was nearly seven years ago that bump stocks in the hands of an individual led to the deaths of 60 people and injuries of hundreds of others at a Las Vegas music festival in ten minutes. Just two years ago, a white supremacist used bump stocks on firearms to target Black victims in a Buffalo supermarket, killing 10 people in a few minutes’ time. The Supreme Court’s decision today will most likely lead to more tragedies. Technicalities about what constitutes a machine gun in relation to bump stocks, as argued by Justice Thomas, ignore that the shooter in Las Vegas was able to fire more than 100 bullets per minute using a bump stock. With this new decision, Congress needs to act and prevent these dangerous tools from being used to perpetrate future violence. But, as its leaders refuse to even call a vote on the issue, I fear the Supreme Court’s decision will lead to more gun violence across our country in years to come.”