Supreme Court Overturns Ruling Federal Agencies Relied On to Create Regulatory Gun Control

The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) on Friday overturned Chevron v. National Resources Defense Council (1984), a ruling federal agencies have relied on in the creation of regulatory gun control.

Gun Owners of America celebrated the six-to-three ruling:

Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the majority opinion, noting, “Chevron is overruled. Courts must exercise their independent judgment in deciding whether an agency has acted within its statutory authority, as the APA [Administrative Procedure Act] requires.”

Friday’s ruling comes two weeks after SCOTUS overturned the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) bump stock ban.

Breitbart News reported that Justice Clarence Thomas wrote the majority in that opinion, rejecting the ATF’s claim that bump stocks turn semiautomatics into machine guns.

“Semiautomatic firearms, which require shooters to reengage the trigger for every shot, are not machineguns,” Thomas wrote. “This case asks whether a bump stock—an accessory for a semi-automatic rifle that allows the shooter to rapidly reengage the trigger (and therefore achieve a high rate of fire)—converts the rifle into a ‘machinegun.’ We hold that it does not…”

AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio, a pro-staffer for Pulsar Night Vision, and the director of global marketing for Lone Star Hunts. He was a Visiting Fellow at the Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal in 2010 and has a Ph.D. in Military History. Follow him on Instagram: @awr_hawkins. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange. Reach him directly at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..