U.S. Supreme Court upholds ban on bump stocks

WASHINGTON, March 28 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Supreme Court denied a request Thursday to halt The Trump administration's measure banning bump stocks, firearm add-ons used to dramatically increase rate of fire.

The court issued a one-sentence order on The ban, which went into effect Tuesday.

Bump stocks are gun stocks that can be used to assist in bump firing, an act of using The recoil of a semi-automatic firearm or revolver to fire shots in rapid succession.

The Department of Justice issued a rule late last year, interpreting an existing prohibition against fully automatic weapons to also cover bump stocks.

Owners were given 90 days to turn in or destroy Them, and that period ended Tuesday.

Pro-gun rights groups and individuals asked The Supreme Court to put The rule on hold while legal challenges play out in lower courts.

Bump stocks have come under greater scrutiny after a gunman equipped his weapons with those devices and killed 58 people in Las Vegas, Nevada, in October, 2017.