This report was updated at 2:30pm.

WASHINGTON – On Wednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court overwhelmingly supported Biden-era regulatory kits that can be assembled into untraceable firearms, also known as the Ghost Guns.

In the 7-2 decision, Judge Neil Gorsuch, author of the opinion, said the regulations on alcohol, cigarettes, firearms and explosives were “inconsistent” with the Gun Control Act of 1968.

In him opinionGorsuch said that due to gun control laws, ATFs “any weapon… They can be easily converted or easily to expel projectiles by the action of explosives.”

“Neither Renity’s rules nor constitutional evasion applies when it is made clear that the text, context and structure of the statute, like here, reaches several weapon part kits and unfinished frames or receivers,” he continued.

Conservative Justice Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas wrote their dissent.

Case, Bondi v. Vanderstock, Although renamed to reflect Trump administration Attorney General Pam Bondy, it raised questions in the High Court whether the ATF’s 2022 rules were over-imposed in expanding the definition of “firearms” to include “ghost guns” under the federal firearms law.

Wednesday’s ruling is alongside recent gun-related cases in front of the conservative-led Supreme Court. Bump stock ban has been declared And a New York law banning hidden carry.

Nine judges initially heard oral arguments. I’ll be back in October.

A ghost gun is a firearm without a serial number. The kits are easily purchased online and can be quickly assembled into parts.

Law enforcement officials used serial numbers to track guns used in crimes and raised concerns about how ghost guns would hinder investigations, including firearms.

Regulations challenged by gun advocacy groups did not ban ghost guns, instead had to add serial numbers to the products to manufacturers of those firearm kits or parts and perform background checks on potential buyers.

The ATF rules also made it clear that these kits are considered to be covered by the Gun Control Act of 1968 under the definition of “firearms.”

“Buy Build Shoot” kit

Gorsuch pointed out that gun control law law law laws grant the ATF the authority to regulate weapons designed to “deport projectiles through the actions of explosives” through two requirements.

The first is that you need a “weapon.” The second is that a “weapon” must meet one of three criteria.

“The action of an explosive designed to do so will surely allow projectiles to be banished, or susceptible to transformations ready to operate that way,” he said.

The Court of Appeals interpreted the ATF regulations as invalid as “no weapon parts kit” could meet these two requirements. Gorsuch said the High Court did not agree.

“We don’t agree because at least some kits fill both,” he said.

In Supreme Court reasoning, Gorsuch pointed to the Polymer 80 “Buy Build Shoot” kit, an example of a ghost gun kit.

He said the kit comes with all the tools needed to build a “Glock Variable Semi-Automatic Pistol.”

“And in the ATF test, individuals who have never encountered a kit before were able to produce guns in 21 minutes using only the “generic” tools and instructions found in public YouTube videos, were able to produce guns in ATF tests,” says Gorsuch.

He said that when assessing whether the “Buy Build Shoot” kit applies to two requirements, he first questioned whether the word “weapon” could be applied to the kit.

“Reflecting in the same way, everyday speakers may use artifact nouns to refer to unfinished objects, at least when the intended function is clear,” he writes. “My friend might talk about a table he just bought at IKEA.

Gorsuch said the same logic can be applied to the kit.

“But even if it’s sold, the kit comes with all the necessary components, and its intended function as a combat device is clear,” he said. “Really, the name of the kit says it all. “Buy the build Shoot. ”

Regarding the second requirement, Gorsuch pointed out that the kit met it.

Thomas’s Opposition

Judge Thomas argued that the firearm kit did not meet the “statutory definition of a “firearm.”

Thomas also wrote his opinion on the 2022 decision that significantly expanded the second amendment by determining that New York was in violation of the 14th amendment of the Constitution.

“Instead, the majority will congratulate the government on its overreach on a series of errors regarding both screening standards and interpretation of the law,” he opposed on Wednesday. “Congress could have allowed the ATF to easily convertible control of a firearm or part of any object. But that wasn’t the case.”

He claimed that ATF regulations rewrite what “frames” and “receivers” are weapons. Thomas writes that ghost guns do not meet this definition because they are “unfinished.”

Thomas also disagreed with the majority opinion on how easy it is to assemble a firearm through a kit.

“It takes special tools and uncertain times to convert an unfinished weapon part kit into a functional weapon,” he said. “Therefore, even assuming that the usual meaning of “weapon” does not resolve whether or not it includes weapon parts kits, the term “weapon” cannot at least encompass weapon parts kits that cover firearm disassembly “in the same way.” ”

Last updated at 1:33pm, March 26, 2025