Senate Democrat Claims Supreme Court Is Set to Radically Overhaul Second Amendment

Democratic Senator Chris Murphy claims the Supreme Court is about to “fundamentally rewrite the Second Amendment,” igniting widespread concern with its latest ruling on bump stocks. 

According to Murphy, the Supreme Court’s actions could “take away permanently the ability of Congress to do simple things like require people to go through a background check.” 

Murphy expressed fears on CNN’s “State of the Union” that the court’s direction might make it “very hard for Congress or state legislatures to be able to regulate guns and keep our communities and schools safe.”

The decision to overturn the bump stock ban is part of a trend where the Supreme Court’s conservative majority has been easing firearm regulations. 

Originally banned by the Trump administration following the 2017 Las Vegas shooting, bump stocks can turn a semi-automatic rifle into a rapid-fire weapon.

Murphy pointed out that although the bump stock ban was initially supported by many Republicans, there’s now a change in stance as they “line up behind the gun industry.” 

In response to the Supreme Court’s decision, gun control advocacy groups have voiced concerns that this could worsen gun violence in the U.S., a nation already struggling with frequent shootings.

Contrasting with the concern from Democrats, the majority of Republicans applauded the decision.

Republican Senator Tom Cotton criticized the bump stock ban, suggesting it nearly infringed on the Second Amendment.

Though not directly tied to the Second Amendment, the bump stock case has placed gun control debates back into the spotlight at the Supreme Court.

Despite the contentious court rulings, Senator Murphy highlighted a silver lining: the decline in urban gun homicides.

Reflecting on his commitment to gun safety post-Sandy Hook, Murphy emphasizes, “We have a lot of work to do to make sure that something like Sandy Hook never happens again.”