The Supreme Court’s Latest 2A Ruling Shows Why Electing Trump is Crucial for Gun Rights
With the Left gunning to pack the courts with “progressive” justices, Trump-appointed justices are defending the Constitution from a government that wants to disarm you at any cost
The Supreme Court has once again championed law-abiding gun owners against federal overreach, highlighting the importance of electing Republican presidents like Donald Trump who appoint conservative justices who uphold our constitutional rights.
Without Trump’s victories since 2016, the Left would have won this decision and many other landmark decisions over the last few years—but that’s under threat if Joe Biden wins reelection in November.
On June 14, in a 6–3 ruling, the Supreme Court of the United States reaffirmed that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) does not have the authority to unilaterally rewrite definitions established by Congress that pertain to firearms. By striking down the agency’s “bump stock” ban, the court reassured Americans that their Second Amendment right to bear arms remains protected—so long as the Left isn’t in control of our judiciary.
It’s imperative to recognize the Supreme Court’s pivotal role in blocking unconstitutional laws, which underscores the profound influence of the sitting president in appointing justices.
It isn’t hard to imagine a terrifying counter-scenario in which law-abiding gun owners lose this decision if failed Democrat presidential candidate Hillary Clinton had won the 2016 election and appointed her own far-left justices to the court. Just replace conservative Justices Brett Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett, and Neil Gorsuch—all appointed by former President Trump—with reliable leftists like now-Attorney General Merrick Garland or other anti-gun ideologues, and it’s clear the bump stock ruling would have gone the other direction.
Similarly, the landmark Bruen decision, which redefined firearm laws and restored the right to carry for every American, would not have succeeded without Trump’s Supreme Court nominations.
As we face a pivotal moment in our nation’s history, with George H. W. Bush’s appointees now in their 70s and new nominations on the horizon, it is crucial that gun owners vote for a president committed to appointing justices that uphold the constitutional values we staunchly defend.
The Left Demonized the Court for Returning the Decision to Congress
The Left was livid with the court’s decision to respect the separation of powers and let Congress—who actually has the authority to change definitions—decide the future of bump stocks.
A bump stock is a very simple mechanism that returns the trigger to the firing position using the recoil of the butt against the user’s shoulder. In other words, it “bumps” the trigger back into position against the users finger after every shot.
In the eyes of the Left, it turns a firearm in to a fully automatic death machine.
This courts decision also countered the ATF’s ongoing regulatory overreach and revealed the Left’s true colors. They aren’t concerned with what is right; they just want decisions that align with their agenda.
“Congress could have linked the definition of ‘machinegun’ to a weapon’s rate of fire, as the dissent would prefer,” Justice Clarence Thomas wrote for the majority in the case, Cargill v. Garland. “But, it instead enacted a statute that turns on whether a weapon can fire more than one shot ‘automatically . . . by a single function of the trigger.’ And, ‘it is never our job to rewrite . . . statutory text under the banner of speculation about what Congress might have done.’”
In response, Senate Democrats swiftly initiated efforts to ban bump stocks just three days later through the proper channel.
Democrat lawmakers called to disregard normal rules and bring forward the awfully named Banning Unlawful Machinegun Parts (BUMP) Act—first introduced last June by Democrat Sen. Martin Heinrich (NM)—to vote on unanimous consent, but the attempt was unsuccessful due to objection from Sen. Pete Ricketts (R–NE).
“By undoing the commonsense ban on deadly bump stocks, the MAGA Supreme Court has shown how dangerously far right they will go. It risks public safety, tragedies, American lives,” Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D–NY), an advocate for packing the courts, thumped on social media.
It’s no surprise that “progressive” politicians are objecting as the Supreme Court steadfastly upholds the Constitution and the separation of powers. The Left has a well-documented history of attacking conservative justices for their principled decisions, aiming to pack the court with justices more favorable to their agenda.
Backlash from the Left is expected, but Second Amendment and constitutional rights advocates painted the decision in its proper light—as a victory for law-abiding Americans.
“The Supreme Court has properly restrained executive branch agencies to their role of enforcing, and not making, the law,” said NRA-ILA executive director Randy Kozuch. “This decision will be pivotal to NRA’s future challenges of ATF regulations.”
On June 16, Sen. Tom Cotton (R–AK) said that the bump stock ban “treads close to the line” of violating the Second Amendment and suggested that the ATF “should crack down on violent crime, gun crimes,” before infringing “on the rights of law-abiding American citizens.”
“Today the Justices made crystal clear that the ATF went well beyond their statutory authority in promulgating this rule. While it’s a shame it took six years to right this wrong, GOA [Gun Owners of America] is nevertheless proud to have fought back since Day 1,” said Erich Pratt, GOA’s senior vice president, “And we will continue to do so anywhere there is illegal and unconstitutional gun control.”
(RELATED: The Left Would Grab Your Guns In A Minute If Patriots Stopped Defending The Constitution)
Necessary Restraints for the Government
The Supreme Court’s decision to strike down the bump stock ban places another significant roadblock in the way of the ATF’s self-proclaimed power. This victory also empowers Second Amendment advocate groups to further challenge past regulations that the agency has unjustly treated as law.
The justices will now direct their focus towards other ATF regulations, including the “frame and receiver” rule, which aims to crack down on homemade firearms and unfinished gun parts used for “ghost guns.”
The regulations in question are referred to as “rules,” but the agency is effectively overriding the power of Congress and taking law making into their own hands by recreating already established definitions. Like any other federal agency, the ATF should never have the right to circumvent Congress.
This overreach of power is particularly urgent to address with the ATF, as it has continuously operated in a weaponized manner under the Biden Administration.
For example, in 2023 gun stores across the U.S. began closing at a rapid pace due to the Biden administration’s “Zero Tolerance” policy. The policy added updated language to define what can be classified as a “willful” violation, leaving Federal Firearm License (FFL) revocations at a 16-year high.
“That’s not how regulatory agencies are supposed to work in the sector that they’re supposed to regulate. They are supposed to help the companies, they’re supposed to ensure compliance but they’re not supposed to punish and destroy an entire industry based on just political opposition or political distaste,” GOA Director of Federal Affairs Aidan Johnston told reporters.
In May, ATF agents killed Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport Executive Director Bryan Malinowski while executing a raid at his property. Malinowski, described by his family as an avid gun collector, had purchased 150 guns between 2021 and 2024.
The ATF believed he was selling firearms without a license, but the family stated that the raid was “completely unnecessary.”
No charges were filed against the agent who shot Malinowski, and ATF spokesperson Kristina Mastropasqua called the investigation “prompt, professional and independent.”
ATF Director Steve Dettelbach was called to testify before Congress following the shooting.
“You’ve got a citizen—the highest paid municipal official in Little Rock, Arkansas, making $260,000 a year running the airport—no criminal background history, nothing, and he’s dead at a pre-dawn raid,” said Rep. Jim Jordan (R–OH).
Conservative Justices Matter
As Bush-appointed justices continue to age, it is increasingly likely that his conservative appointees may either pass away or choose to retire between 2025 and 2029.
Granting President Joe Biden another four years in office would present him with an unprecedented opportunity to pack the courts with leftist ideologues, threatening to unravel the very fabric of America.
As gun owners and law-abiding citizens, we must not allow this to happen.
(RELATED: Democrats Want To Make Concealed Carry Rights Impossible To Exercise—Despite Supreme Court Rulings)
