US Supreme Court upholds Biden regulations on 'ghost gun' kits
The US Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld a Biden administration effort to regulate “ghost gun” kits that allow people to easily obtain parts needed to assemble firearms from online sellers.
The decision by a court that often backs gun rights resolves the legal dispute over whether the kits can be regulated the same way as other firearms, News.Az reports, citing NBC News.
The ruling was 7-2, with Justice Neil Gorsuch writing the majority opinion saying that the kits can be regulated under the federal Gun Control Act, saying the court had "no trouble rejecting" the arguments made by challengers.
Issued by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the regulation includes ghost guns within the definition of “firearm” as described in the long-standing federal law that regulates guns.
The law "embraces and thus permits ATF to regulate some weapon parts kits," Gorsuch wrote.
He indicated that the ruling is limited, meaning that some products that require "sufficient time, tools and expertise" to create a gun would not necessarily be covered.
The court's three liberals joined four conservatives in the majority. Conservative Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented.
In backing the regulation, the court "blesses the government's overreach based on a series of errors," Thomas wrote.
The regulation has been in effect since August 2022 as litigation has made its way through the court system, with the Supreme Court in August 2023 refusing to put it on hold. Manufacturers and sellers have to obtain licenses, mark products with serial numbers, require background checks and maintain records.
The Trump administration could seek to rescind the rule.
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