Society & Politics

How do you feel about SCOTUS upholding federal ban on ‘ghost guns’?

The Supreme Court upheld the federal government’s ban on so-called ghost guns — effectively untraceable weapons that can be easily assembled from parts kits often purchased on the internet.

The justices split 7-2, with four right-wing justices and three left wing justices backing the authority of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to regulate kits used to make guns that lack serial numbers and are typically sold without a background check. Such weapons are frequently used in crimes. Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote in a 7-2 decision that the regulations are permitted under the Gun Control Act of 1968. Gorsuch emphasized that the ruling did not mean that every collection of parts could be regulated by ATF in a similar fashion to a finished weapon. However, any future challenges would have to proceed on a case-by-case basis.

Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito were the only ones to dissent.

President Joe Biden took the first steps to ban ghost guns shortly after he took office in 2021. The regulation was finalized the following year.

In 2023, the Supreme Court, voting 5-4, allowed the ban to take effect at an early stage in the litigation while the legal challenge continued in the lower courts. Gorsuch joined Thomas, Alito and Justice Brett Kavanaugh in dissenting from that ruling. However, on Wednesday, Gorsuch and Kavanaugh reversed course and joined the liberal justices — as well as Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Amy Coney Barrett — in upholding the rule.

Source: https://www.politico.com/news/2025/03/26/supreme-court-upholds-federal-ban-on-ghost-guns-00250611

How do you feel about SCOTUS upholding federal ban on ‘ghost guns’?
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