US Supreme Court rejects gun rights advocates over bump stocks

(Reuters) – The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday handed another
setback to gun rights advocates challenging President Donald
Trump’s ban on “bump stock” devices that enable semi-automatic
weapons to fire rapidly.

With two conservative justices dissenting, the court refused to
temporarily exempt from the ban a group of plaintiffs including the
Firearms Policy Foundation while their legal challenge continues to
be litigated in Washington.

The Supreme Court twice previously rejected requests by gun
rights advocates – in the case in the U.S. capital and a similar
one in Michigan – to temporarily block the ban while legal
challenges proceed in lower courts.

The ban, which went into effect on March 26, was embraced by
Trump following a 2017 massacre in Las Vegas that killed 58 people
in which the gunman used bump stocks.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
had temporarily blocked the ban’s enforcement against the specific
challengers in the litigation it was handling, but on April 1 ruled
in the administration’s favor and refused to lift the ban.

The challengers then returned to the Supreme Court to try to
prevent the policy from applying specifically to them. In Friday’s
order, Justices Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch said they would
have granted the request to exempt the challengers.

Bump stocks use a gun’s recoil to bump its trigger, enabling a
semiautomatic weapon to fire hundreds of rounds per minute, which
can transform it into a machine gun.

The ban requires owners to turn in or destroy the attachments.
People caught in possession of them could face up to 10 years in
prison. The ban represents a rare recent instance of gun control at
the federal level in a country that has experienced a series of
mass shootings.

Reporting by Andrew Chung; Editing by Will Dunham

Operation Puff Adder Launched Against Kidnappers,
Bandits in the North

As part of deliberate measures aimed at curbing the excesses of
criminal elements hell-bent on threatening internal security across
some States of the Federation, the Inspector General of Police, Ag.
IGP M.A Adamu, NPM, mni has today, Friday, 5thApril, 2019 launched
a robust security action plan tagged ‘Operation Puff Adder’.

The Operation, which is being carried out in collaboration with
the Nigerian Armed Forces and the Department of State Services
(DSS) and involves massive deployment of well-trained,
well-equipped and well-motivated personnel and combined operational
assets from the various security agencies, is tailored towards
ridding the Country, especially the Kaduna – Abuja Expressway,
Kogi, Katsina, Niger and Zamfara States of all forms of crimes and
criminality.

During the launching which took place at katari Bishin District,
Abuja – Kaduna Expressway, the IGP, while noting that no Police
Agency anywhere in the world, no matter how well-trained, equipped
or motivated, can solely achieve its community security and safety
mandate without the support of the community, called for the full
support and cooperation of the civil populace, particularly,
traditional rulers, religious leaders, youth associations, market
bodies, cultural associations and professionals among others in the
fight against criminals especially kidnappers, armed robbers,
cattle rustlers amongst others.

The IGP also made a special appeal to drivers, commuters and
indeed all citizens that may come in contact with Police officers
deployed for the Operation to cooperate with them and show
understanding in the interest of public safety.

The IGP however, sounded a note of warning to persons who engage
in criminal activities, especially along the Abuja – kaduna
Expressway, to give-up their nefarious activities and embrace other
legitimate means of livelihood or be prepared to face the full
consequences of their actions.

During the welcome address, the representative of the Village
Head of katari, Bishin District, kaduna State, Gambo G. Gambo
commended the IGP for the launch of ‘Operation Puff Adder’ in the
area, noting that the operation has already began to yield positive
results with the arrest of five (5) armed criminals in the area on
4thApril, 2019.

He therefore thanked the IGP and enjoined the officers deployed
to the area to ‘‘do good to the good and do bad to the bad’’.

DCP FRANK MBA
FORCE PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER
FORCE HEADQUARTERS
ABUJA