US Supreme Court supports Biden rules on ghost guns despite conservative pushback

In a 7-2 decision authored by Justice Neil Gorsuch, the court backed the 2022 Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) regulation requiring serial numbers, background checks, and sales records for ghost guns - kits often bought online and assembled at home.

The ruling classifies these partially built weapons as "firearms" under the 1968 Gun Control Act, bringing them under the same legal framework as traditional guns.

Gorsuch noted that while some kits might be too incomplete to qualify, many are easily assembled and clearly intended to function as lethal weapons.

"Perhaps a half hour of work is required before anyone can fire a shot," he wrote. "But even as sold, the kit comes with all necessary components, and its intended function as instrument of combat is obvious. Really, the kit’s name says it all: ‘Buy Build Shoot.’"

Justices split over legal interpretation

Conservative Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented. Thomas argued that Congress never defined gun parts as firearms, stating, "The Government now asks us to rewrite statutory text so that it can regulate weapon-parts kits. This time, the Court obliges."

The Biden administration sees the ruling as a victory for public safety. "This Supreme Court decision is great news for everyone but the criminals who have adopted untraceable ghost guns as their weapons of choice," said Everytown for Gun Safety president John Feinblatt.

The Justice Department highlighted the explosive growth in ghost gun use - from 1,800 traced in 2016 to over 19,000 by 2021, linking them to nearly 700 homicides or attempted homicides in that year alone.

The decision marks a significant win for gun control advocates in a court that has often leaned toward expanding gun rights.