The plaintiff argued that his property was outlawed by a government official without the authority to do so. A bump stock is attached to a semiautomatic rifle at the Gun Vault store and shooting range on Oct. 4, 2017, in South Jordan, Utah. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer) WASHINGTON (CN) — Fourth Circuit judges are considering whether a lawsuit brought against an acting U.S. attorney general has grounds for a preliminary injunction. The defendant, former Acting U.S. Attorney General Matthew Whitaker, took up the post after Jeff Sessions resigned in 2018. That December, he issued a memorandum announcing that bump stocks — gun stocks that enable semiautomatic rifles to fire faster rounds — fell within the definition of a “machine gun,” under federal law, meaning gun owners must get rid of their bump stocks within the 90 days since the final rule was issued. Attorney General William Barr then ratified the final rule once he took office.