Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy said Sunday the Supreme Court is “readying to fundamentally rewrite the Second Amendment” after striking down a federal ban on bump stocks. Recent gun-related rulings from the high court, Murphy told CNN’s Jake Tapper on “State of the Union,” signal it is prepared to “take away permanently the ability of Congress to do simple things like require people to go through a background check or move forward on taking dangerous weapons like AR-15s off of the streets.”
“This is a Republican administration that banned bump stocks. At the time, Republicans in the Senate and the House were supportive of it,” the Connecticut Democrat said Sunday. “But now that they have got a Supreme Court that seems ready to unwind the entirety of the Second Amendment and take away from Congress or the executive branch the ability to keep our communities safe, they’re once again lining up behind the gun industry.”
Murphy’s comments echo the response of gun control advocacy groups, which argued Friday that the court’s ruling will have a dangerous impact in a country constantly reeling from gun violence.
The overwhelming majority of Republicans, however, celebrated the court’s decision, arguing that they long believed the ban on bump stocks was unconstitutional. While the action was taken under the Trump administration, many Republicans argued it was the wrong move at the time.