Garland v. Cargill
Supreme Court of the United States · No. 22-976 · 602 U.S. 406
👍Favorable to gun rights
struck down the federal bump stock rule as exceeding ATF's statutory authority
GunMapUSA assessment of the outcome's direction, not a statement that the court decided rightly or wrongly.
What the court held
After the 2017 Las Vegas shooting, ATF reversed its longstanding position and issued a rule classifying semiautomatic rifles equipped with bump stocks as "machineguns" under the National Firearms Act, requiring owners to surrender or destroy them. Michael Cargill surrendered two bump stocks and challenged the rule under the Administrative Procedure Act. The Supreme Court affirmed the Fifth Circuit, holding that a bump-stock-equipped rifle does not fire more than one shot by a single function of the trigger because the trigger must reset between shots, and that it would not fire "automatically" in any event because continued forward pressure from the shooter is required, so ATF exceeded its statutory authority.
Summarized from the court's opinion.
What this case is about
whether a bump stock converts a semiautomatic rifle into a "machinegun" under the National Firearms Act
GunMapUSA summary of the issue, not a quotation from the court.
Key Dates
- 2024-06-14 — Decided
- 2024-02-28 — Argued
Sources
- CourtListener — retrieved 2026-08-08
Summary of public court records. Not legal advice.