The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld the Biden administration’s regulation of ghost guns, the largely untraceable firearms that had been used in a growing number of crimes over the past decade and alarmed law enforcement agencies.
In a 7-2 ruling, the justices allowed 2022 rules by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives that require serial numbers, sales receipts and background checks for the weapons, which are typically purchased in kits online and assembled at home.
The decision could be considered a departure for the Supreme Court’s conservative majority, which has been skeptical of gun regulation in recent terms. The justices issued a landmark decision in 2022 that made it easier to challenge restrictions on firearms.
In the ghost gun case, the justices ruled that the weapons, which are sold partially assembled, count as firearms under the 1968 Gun Control Act, which means they can be regulated in the same way as other commercially available guns. The case did not implicate the right to bear arms that is enshrined in the Second Amendment.
In a 7-2 ruling, the justices allowed 2022 rules by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives that require serial numbers, sales receipts and background checks for the weapons, which are typically purchased in kits online and assembled at home.
The decision could be considered a departure for the Supreme Court’s conservative majority, which has been skeptical of gun regulation in recent terms. The justices issued a landmark decision in 2022 that made it easier to challenge restrictions on firearms.
In the ghost gun case, the justices ruled that the weapons, which are sold partially assembled, count as firearms under the 1968 Gun Control Act, which means they can be regulated in the same way as other commercially available guns. The case did not implicate the right to bear arms that is enshrined in the Second Amendment.
