Bump Stocks Back

Plus, starting anew.

June 18, 2024

The Flag

Good morning and Happy Tuesday! Here are the Flag’s Top Five stories that should be on your radar to start the day:

  • US: Tobacco-like warning label for social media sought by US surgeon general who asks Congress to act (AP)

  • World: Netanyahu disbands his war Cabinet (NBC News)

  • Business: Adidas is investigating allegations of embezzlement and kickbacks in China (CNN)

  • Technology: Runway’s new video-generating AI, Gen-3, offers improved controls (TechCrunch)

  • Sports: Rory McIlroy storms out after US Open choke without congratulating Bryson DeChambeau (The Telegraph)

And of course, some good news: 'Like being born again': Family fleeing violence starts anew through refugee sponsor program.

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Right: How Left-Wing Conspiracies Work, Victor Davis Hanson, American Greatness

Right: Don't Fall for Biden's Nice Old Man Act, Miranda Devine, New York Post

Right: The Left's Anti-Family Ideology Is a Self Own, Peachy Keenan, The Federalist

Left: Republican Rats Return to Trump's Ship, Richard Wolffe, The Guardian

Left: Biden and Trump Wage Furious Pre-Debate Duel, Stephen Collinson, CNN

Left: What Happened to Glenn Youngkin? Jonathan Martin, Politico

GUNS

Bump Stocks Back

Today’s Top Story in One Sentence: On Friday, the Supreme Court overruled a federal ban on bump stocks, which has renewed debate across the political spectrum over the controversial firearm modification.

Reporting from the Right: Trump's campaign says Supreme Court’s decision striking down his admin's bump stock rule ‘should be respected' (FOX News)

Reporting from the Left: Sen. Murphy says Supreme Court is readying to ‘fundamentally rewrite’ Second Amendment after bump stock ruling (CNN)

RIGHT-LEANING SENTIMENT

SCOTUS Made the Right Decision

The Top Argument From The Right: The Supreme Court Got the Bump-Stock Case Right, Charles C. W. Cooke, National Review: “The Supreme Court has struck down the reclassification of bump stocks that was promulgated by the Trump administration back in 2018. As I noted earlier this year, this was not a Second Amendment case, but a statutory case, and, as such, the question was not whether bump stocks count as ‘arms,’ but whether the National Firearms Act of 1934 grants the executive branch the power to regulate them in the same manner as it regulates machine guns. As the Court makes clear, the answer to this is unquestionably no. In consequence, the regulation must fall. That bump stocks do not count under the NFA is not a new finding. … The United States Constitution is extremely clear on how laws are made, and ‘a lot of people are upset about something’ lies nowhere within its instructions. If one wishes, one can argue that Congress ought to have changed the law after the Nevada massacre. But it didn’t. And, because it didn’t, the executive branch had no more authority to issue its rule than it had had on the ‘more than 10 separate occasions over several administrations’ on which it had concluded that such a change would be ultra vires.”

Honorable Mention #1: The Supreme Court’s Welcome Bump Stock Ruling, The Editorial Board, The Wall Street Journal.

Honorable Mention #2: The Logical Fallacies of Sotomayor’s Bump-Stock Dissent Dan McLaughlin, National Review.

LEFT-LEANING SENTIMENT

A Deadly Decision

The Top Argument From The Left: The Supreme Court Just Made Future Mass Shootings Even Deadlier, Matt Ford, The New Republic: “In a 6–3 decision that fell along the usual lines, the court ruled that [bump stocks'] were not covered by existing federal laws and signaled that new ones would be necessary. … In doing so, the court has made it more likely that future mass shootings will be deadlier than they already are. To reach their ruling, the court adopted a strained and artificial interpretation of the laws in question. Their arguments that Congress and the White House are actually to blame are not entirely convincing. … Bump stocks turn a semiautomatic rifle into what is essentially a fully automatic rifle. A normal stock—the part you place against your shoulder—is typically solid and fixed. This allows for greater control when aiming and firing the gun, despite the recoil, which is absorbed by the person’s upper torso. A bump stock, on the other hand, has a sliding portion that allows for movement between the part that rests against one’s shoulder and the rest of the gun. … Hypertechnical statutory arguments cannot hide the cold reality here: The Supreme Court’s decision means that bump stocks will remain legal until a sufficient number of mass shootings are committed with them to compel the elected branches to restore what the justices have arbitrarily removed.”

Honorable Mention #1: The Supreme Court just effectively legalized machine guns, Ian Millhiser, Vox.

Honorable Mention #2: Supreme Court’s bump stock decision is a huge step backward Dominic Erdozain, CNN.

FLAG THIS

What Are Bumps Stock and Why Were They Banned?

Bump stocks, which greatly increase the rate of fire of semi-automatic weapons, were previously banned after the 2017 mass shooting at a music festival in Las Vegas. It was the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history, leaving 60 people dead and injuring more than 850. According to estimates, more than 520,000 bump stocks were in circulation by the time the ban took effect in 2019 (PBS News).

Do you agree with the Supreme Court's ruling that banning bump stocks constitutes regulatory overreach?

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WATERCOOLER

War of 1812, Y-Cut, Dunk Time

The Taking of the City of Washington in America

On This Day in 1812, a day after the Senate followed the House of Representatives in voting to declare war against Great Britain, President James Madison signs the declaration into law—and the War of 1812 begins.

Today I learned scientists have studied the ideal amount of time to dunk an Oreo in milk.

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You’ve probably heard from a number of “crypto gurus” about how we’re at the cusp of what could be the greatest crypto bull run in history.

With quotes like that flying around, we’re not surprised that’s the case. But you see… You might not actually want to buy Bitcoin this time around.

That’s because there’s a better way to take advantage of this new bull market… One market expert calls it Crypto’s Hidden Gem

And it’s a new way that has given folks the chance to see bigger and faster moves than the traditional way of buying Bitcoin…

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