Pardon the Interruption
Recently, the conservative U.S. Supreme Court sided with a gun shop owner who surrendered two bump stocks to the Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Federal law, enacted during a Republican administration, prohibits the transfer or possession of machine guns. Following a deadly mass shooting in Las Vegas in 2017, the Trump administration reclassified bump stocks as machine guns.
For those unfamiliar with bump stocks, these devices, when attached to a semi-automatic firearm, enable it to fire hundreds of rounds rapidly by bumping the trigger against one's finger, eliminating the need to pull the trigger multiple times.
While I support gun rights, this decision, particularly Justice Thomas' explanation, concerns me. Thomas stated in the majority opinion, as reported by The Texas Tribune, that "a bump stock is not a machine gun because it cannot fire more than one shot 'by a single function of the trigger.'" Thomas elaborated on how the shooter can manage bump firing, asserting that a bump stock isn't a machine gun. However, the notion that individuals are developing "devised techniques for firing semiautomatic firearms at rates approaching those of some machine guns," as mentioned in Thomas' opinion, should prompt caution. This ruling implies that technology enabling rapid firing can be considered "approaching those of some machine guns," but not a machine gun.
Gun rights advocates praised the Supreme Court's decision, particularly the far-right fringe of the GOP, viewing it as a significant achievement. Now, the court is set to address the constitutionality of state bans on gender-affirming care for transgender minors.
This decision will have a profound impact on LGBTQ+ individuals, both minors and adults. As a parent of a transgender daughter, I worry about the broader implications for healthcare, particularly for adults who rely on medications to manage their gender dysphoria. In Texas, we are already seeing this with Texas Medicaid's decision to no longer cover gender-affirming care for transgender adults.
This issue extends beyond the transgender community. States are increasingly controlling individuals' reproductive healthcare. While the MAGA wing of the GOP focuses on creating chaos to "own the libs," their shortsighted actions risk infringing on everyone's liberties, including their own or their family's access to essential healthcare.
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