The Supreme Court upheld a Biden administration regulation on the near-impossible to trace “ghost gun” kits that allow individuals to easily buy parts for firearms from online sellers, NBC Newsreported. The Wednesday ruling to maintain restricted access to parts needed to assemble firearms from online sellers means that serial numbers, background checks, and age verification will continue to be required. In a 7-2 ruling, Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote for the majority, stating that the kits can be regulated under the federal Gun Control Act and that the court had “no trouble rejecting” the arguments made by those opposed. The regulation, issued by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), classifies ghost guns as “firearms” under the federal law that has long governed the regulation of firearms. This law, according to Gorsuch, “embraces and thus permits ATF to regulate some weapon parts kits.” He also stated that the ruling is limited, meaning that products requiring “adequate time, tools, and expertise” to manufacture a gun may not be included. Conservative Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented, with Thomas writing that by supporting the regulation, the court “blesses the government’s overreach based on a series of errors.”
