Document ID: ./input/supremecourt_opinions/opinions/23pdf/22-976_e29g.pdf
Page Number: 28.0

4 

GARLAND v. CARGILL 

SOTOMAYOR, J., dissenting 

B 
  The  archetypal  modern  “machinegun”  is  the  military’s 
standard-issue  M16  assault  rifle.    With  an  M16  in  auto-
matic mode, the shooter pulls the trigger once to achieve a 
fire rate of 700 to 950 rounds per minute.  See Dept. of De-
fense, Defense Logistics Agency, Small Arms, https://www. 
dla.mil/Disposition-Services/Offers/  Law-  Enforcement / 
Weapons/.    An  internal  mechanism  automates  the  M16’s 
continuous  fire,  so  that  all  the  shooter  has  to  do  is  keep 
backward  pressure  on  the  trigger.    See  Brief  for  Giffords 
Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence et al. as Amici Curiae 
9–11 (Giffords Brief ) (discussing internal firing mechanism 
of M16).  If the shooter stops putting pressure on the trig-
ger, the gun stops firing. 
  Semiautomatic  weapons  are  not  “machineguns”  under 
the statute.  Take, for instance, an AR–15-style semiauto-
matic  assault  rifle.    To  rapidly  fire  an  AR–15,  a  shooter 
must rapidly pull the trigger himself.  It is “semi” automatic 
because, although the rifle automatically loads a new car-
tridge into the chamber after it is fired, it fires only one shot 
each  time  the  shooter  pulls  the  trigger.    See  18  U. S. C. 
§921(a)(29) (2018 ed., Supp. IV). 
  To  fire  an  M16  or  AR–15  rifle,  a  person  typically  holds 
the “grip” next to the trigger with his firing hand.  He sta-
bilizes  the  weapon  with  his  other  hand  on  its  barrel  or 
“front grip.”  He then raises the weapon so that the butt, or 
“stock,” of the gun rests against his shoulder, lines up the 
sights to look down the gun, and squeezes the trigger.  See 
Dept. of the Army, Field Manual 23–9, Rifle Marksmanship 
M16A1, M16A2/3, M16A4, and M4 Carbine, Ch. 4, Section 
III, p. 4-22 (Sept. 13, 2006) (M16 Field Manual).  A regular 
person with an AR–15 can achieve a fire rate of around 60 
rounds per minute, with one pull of the trigger per second.  

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Stat. 452–453 (making it a federal crime “ ‘to transfer or possess a ma-
chinegun’ ”).