SE Wyoming News

U.S. Senator Cynthia Lummis, along with eight other senators and multiple legal experts, has filed an amici curiae brief in the U.S. Supreme Court case Garland v. Cargill. The brief argues against the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) ban on bump stocks under the National Firearms Act. According to Lummis, the ban is an infringement on the people of Wyoming's right to bear arms and represents a dangerous expansion of federal bureaucrats' interpretation of federal law. The brief also criticizes the ATF for using the Chevron doctrine to create new federal crimes without the approval of Congress.

Lummis stated, "The ATF's job is to interpret existing laws passed by Congress, not grant itself sweeping authority to confiscate firearms from law-abiding Wyoming gun owners as is the case with the bump stock ban." She sees Garland v. Cargill as a pivotal moment for gun rights in America and is determined to protect the long history of responsible gun ownership in Wyoming.

Other senators involved in filing the brief share Lummis's concerns about the overreach of the ATF. Governor Pete Ricketts of Nebraska stated, "We cannot allow unelected bureaucrats at the ATF to abuse their authority and interpret laws in a way Congress clearly never intended." Senator Mike Rounds of South Dakota added, "The ATF's bump stock ban is yet another example of bureaucrats abusing their authority to infringe on the Second Amendment rights of the American people."

The senators believe that the actions of the ATF are unconstitutional and are determined to hold regulators accountable and defend the rights of law-abiding gun owners. Senator Steve Daines of Montana emphasized, "The Second Amendment is clear—the right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed, and a ban on bump stocks would threaten Montanans' constitutional right to defend themselves and their families."

The amici curiae brief also received support from legal experts, including University of Wyoming Law Professor George A. Mocsary and Independence Institute Counsel David B. Kopel. They argue that the ATF's actions constitute regulatory overreach and deliberate misinterpretations of legislation passed by Congress.

In conclusion, Senator Lummis and her colleagues are determined to protect the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens and prevent the overreach of federal agencies. They believe that the ATF's ban on bump stocks is unconstitutional and are hopeful that the Supreme Court will uphold the rights of gun owners in the case of Garland v. Cargill.