Supreme Court appears likely to uphold Biden plan to crack down on 'ghost gun' kits

Source: NBC News

Oct. 8, 2024, 6:30 AM EDT / Updated Oct. 8, 2024, 12:09 PM EDT


WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Tuesday signaled it is likely to uphold the Biden administration's move to regulate "ghost gun" kits that allow people to assemble deadly weapons at home while skirting existing regulations.

Based on the questions that liberal and conservative justices asked in oral arguments, the Biden administration might secure a majority that would leave the new rules in place, which regulate the kits same way as other firearms. That would mean manufacturers and sellers of the kits would have to obtain licenses, mark the products with serial numbers, require background checks and maintain records.

The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, which issued the restriction in 2022, says ghost guns are regularly used by violent criminals precisely because they are difficult to trace.

The new regulation clarified that the parts used to make ghost guns fit within the definition of “firearm” under the federal Gun Control Act, meaning the government has the power to regulate them the same way it regulates firearms made and sold through the traditional process. The restriction is currently in effect, with the Supreme Court last year refusing to block it while litigation continued. That decision, which was 5-4, could give an indication of how the justices will ultimately decide the case.

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/supreme-court/supreme-court-weighs-challenge-biden-ban-untraceable-ghost-gun-kits-rcna174278