After Supreme Court strikes down ban, bump stock inventor puts business up for sale
NORTH TEXAS — Just days after the Supreme Court struck down the federal ban on bump stocks, the inventor of the gun device announced he is selling all the intellectual property rights for the manufacture of bump stocks.
In a statement released Monday, bump stock inventor Jeremiah Cottle wrote, "While the Court's ruling on Friday is a positive development for the manufacture and sale of bump stocks, and has been long awaited, I have decided that it is time to hand the reins to someone else."
In 2017, investigators found bump stocks attached to the guns used in the 2017 Las Vegas mass shooting, the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history. Former President Donald Trump subsequently called for a ban on the gun accessories that allow semi-automatic rifles to fire at nearly the speed of a machine gun.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced on Sunday that he plans to bring up a vote this week on restoring a ban on bump stocks. He called the ban "common sense."
On Friday, in a 6-3 ruling, Justice Clarence Thomas, in the majority opinion, wrote, "This case asks whether a bump stock converts the rifle into a 'machine gun.' We hold that it does not."
In 2018, Cottle's company, SlideFire, the maker of bump stocks, closed shortly after the Las Vegas shooting. The company was one the largest employers in the small town of Moran, Texas, about 130 miles west of Fort Worth.
Along with patents, copyrights, and manufacturing equipment, Cottle is also selling his website and patents for other firearm accessories that did not make it to market.
Gun rights advocates hailed Friday's ruling as a victory for the Second Amendment. Meanwhile, the President of Everytown Gun Safety called on Congress to pass legislation banning bump stocks, which he referred to as "accessories of war that have no place in our communities."