Supreme Court upholds Biden-era ghost gun rule [View all]

Last edited Wed Mar 26, 2025, 09:51 AM - Edit history (1)

Source: CBS News

Updated on: March 26, 2025 / 10:30 AM EDT


Washington — The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld a Biden administration rule that regulates unserialized firearms called ghost guns, delivering a win for federal efforts to curb gun violence. The high court ruled 7-2 in finding that the rule from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is not facially inconsistent with federal firearms law. Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented. Justice Neil Gorsuch authored the opinion for the majority.

"The GCA embraces, and thus permits ATF to regulate, some weapon parts kits and unfinished frames or receivers, including those we have discussed," Gorsuch wrote, referencing the Gun Control Act of 1968. The case before the Supreme Court did not involve the Second Amendment, but whether the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives went too far when it issued the rule subjecting ghost guns to the same requirements as commercial firearms.

It follows a decision from the high court last year that struck down a measure from the first Trump administration that outlawed bump stocks, which are devices that increase a firearm's rate of fire. It's unclear whether President Trump will keep the regulation in place or take steps to rescind it. The court was considering an appeal from the Biden administration of a lower court ruling that struck down the measure.

The regulation, issued in 2022, sought to address a surge in crimes committed using ghost guns, which can be made with 3D printers or kits and parts available online. The weapons don't have serial numbers or transfer records, making them difficult for law enforcement to trace and attractive to people who are prohibited from purchasing firearms.

Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/supreme-court-ghost-guns-rule/