Texas
Texas gun store owner says Supreme Court should limit government 'power' in 'bump stock' ban case
The Supreme Court on Wednesday will hear a challenge to a federal ban on gun “bump stocks” in a case that could affect thousands of gun-owning Americans.
The case, Garland v. Cargill, presents the question whether a “bump stock” device is a “machine gun” as defined by federal law because it is designed and intended for use in converting a rifle into a weapon that fires “automatically more than one shot … by a single function of the trigger.”
After a 2017 mass shooting in Las Vegas that left 60 people dead and 500 more wounded, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) issued an interpretive rule concluding that “bump stocks” are machine guns.
A “bump stock” is an attachment that allows a semi-automatic rifle to mimic a fully automatic weapon’s “cyclic firing rate to mimic nearly continuous automatic fire,” according to the ATF.
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The U.S. Supreme Court (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Semi-automatic rifles with “bump stocks” could fire hundreds of rounds per minute, according to experts.
They were originally created to make it easier for people with disabilities to fire a gun. The device essentially replaces the gun’s stock and pistol grip and causes the weapon to buck back and forth, repeatedly “bumping” the trigger against the shooter’s finger.
Michael Cargill, owner of Central Texas Gun Works, sued the government after he was forced to surrender several “bump stocks” under the ATF’s rule.
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A man fires an AK-47 with a “bump stock” installed at Good Guys Gun and Range Feb. 21, 2018, in Orem, Utah. The “bump stock” is a device that, when installed, allows a semi-automatic weapon to fire at a rapid rate, much like a fully automatic gun. (George Frey/Getty Images)
“It really goes back to … freedom. And it goes back to just the basics of something that my customers and myself legally purchase. The government should not have that power, that authority in an administrative agency … to come back and ban that. You know, something that Congress has not banned. That’s going to be a job that’s reserved for Congress,” Cargill said in an interview with Fox News Digital.
“And I don’t think, you know, that the Supreme Court intended for an agency to actually do something to this extent.”
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Cargill said he opened his business because he wanted to teach people how to properly handle and shoot guns.
“I wanted them to know what the laws were. I wanted them to follow the law. And, so, that’s why I focus my business model on training and classes. Because we want to make sure that we’re doing everything right,” Cargill said.
When the ATF rule was changed, Cargill realized that it caused a problem for him and his customers because it made illegal what had previously been legal by reinterpreting the machine gun ban to cover “bump stocks.”
A “bump stock” is displayed March 15, 2019, in Harrisonburg, Va. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, File)
“It posed a problem, and we wanted to fix that problem,” Cargill said.
Cargill said many of his customers who purchased “bump stocks” were military veterans with disabilities.
“Just recently, I had the opportunity to teach a young man how to shoot again who has no arms and hands. And, so, I taught him how to shoot with his feet. So, we have people that come to us for, you know, different disabilities, and we try to find a way to help them,” Cargill explained.
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Three appeals courts agreed with the ATF’s pre-2018 position that non-mechanical “bump stocks” are not “machine gun[s],” while two other appeals courts agreed with ATF’s present-day interpretation.
The New Civil Liberties Alliance (NCLA) is arguing the case on behalf of Cargill.
Mark Chenoweth, NCLA president and general counsel, said, “This is not a case about gun rights. It is a case about administrative power.”
“Congress never gave ATF the power to rewrite federal criminal statutes pertaining to machine guns, nor could it. Writing federal criminal laws is the sole preserve of Congress, and the Trump and Biden administrations committed grievous constitutional error by trying to ban ‘bump stocks’ without involving Congress. We are confident the U.S. Supreme Court will right this wrong for Michael Cargill and all Americans.”
The Supreme Court will hear arguments at 10 a.m. Wednesday.
AUSTIN – Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said Wednesday he has secured a settlement of bankruptcy claims against genetic testing company 23andMe stemming from a 2023 data breach that exposed personal information, including some genetic ancestry data, of 6.9 million customers worldwide.
Paxton’s office said the settlement includes $150 million for a multistate coalition of 42 states. But because of limited funds in 23andMe’s bankruptcy estate and competing claims, the states’ recovery will be $18 million paid immediately, with Texas receiving $1,266,860.
23andMe disclosed in October 2023 that attackers had accessed accounts affecting 6.9 million consumers. Some of the information was later posted for sale on the dark web, according to Paxton’s office, which said the company learned of the breach months after the data became publicly available. The office said 23andMe initially denied a breach and later blamed consumers’ account settings and password practices.
Paxton joined a multistate investigation that concluded 23andMe used unreasonable security practices and failed to implement adequate safeguards against hacking, the office said.
23andMe filed for bankruptcy protection in March 2025. Paxton’s office said the settlement incorporates privacy and cybersecurity requirements, including enhanced security standards, comprehensive risk assessments and creation of an independent advisory board, along with enforcement of state privacy laws and continued consumer data deletion rights.
“Companies that collect and profit from Texans’ most personal information have a legal duty to protect it,” Paxton said in a statement.
The company also agreed to a $46.75 million class-action settlement in the bankruptcy case for affected U.S. consumers who submitted claims by Feb. 17, 2026, Paxton’s office said.
Copyright 2026 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.
The Texas Longhorns entered the 2025 season with more expectations than any team has had to deal with in recent memory.
Many among the media were ready to crown the team and quarterback Arch Manning before they even played one game. Of course, those unrealistic expectations were never met, even though the team finished with a 10-3 record and a Citrus Bowl win over the Michigan Wolverines.
2026 is heading in the same direction for the Longhorns. Many believe head coach Steve Sarkisian has the most talented team in the country. But in order to fix the issues from this past season, the Longhorns needed to fix one issue that has cost them in the past.
Changing The Narrative
One of the biggest issues the Longhorns had last season was the play of the offensive line. It was apparent in the first game of the season against the Ohio State Buckeyes that Manning didn’t have the pocket time needed to make big plays.
This offseason, Coach Sarkisian went out and found two massive transfer portal additions that should completely change the narrative on this offensive line.
It starts with potential starting right tackle Melvin Siani. Siani has spent time with the Temple Owls and last season with the Wake Forest Demon Deacons.
The Longhorns are set at left tackle with Trevor Goosby, who could play himself into being a top 10 pick in the 2027 NFL Draft. If the team can get competent play from Siani, the offense will be able to open up the playbook, and the world may finally see Manning at his college peak.
The Longhorns also went out and found a potential fix at left guard for the 2026 season. Western Kentucky Hilltoppers transfer Laurence Seymore could be another strong patch for the holes in the offensive line.
After spending the first two seasons of his college career with the Miami Hurricanes, Seymore made stops with the Akron Zips and the Hilltoppers.
Of course, the one concern with Seymore is wondering if he can compete at the SEC level coming from the C-USA.
This season for the Longhorns starts and stops with the play of Manning. Coach Sarkisian and the rest of this coaching staff understood that protecting their quarterback was the most important goal when building the 2026 roster.
The Longhorns are going to be leaning on veteran talent to protect their quarterback, and it may very well be the best decision they made this offseason.
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