Supreme Court upholds 'ghost gun' restrictions
Ghost guns can be regulated like other firearms
What happened
The Supreme Court ruled 7-2 Wednesday that "ghost guns" can be regulated like other firearms under the 1968 Gun Control Act, upholding a 2022 interpretation of the law by former President Joe Biden's administration. The decision, written by conservative Justice Neil Gorsuch, allows the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to require serial numbers, background checks and sales receipts for the build-it-yourself gun kits. Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented.
Who said what
Police recovered more than 19,000 ghost guns from crime scenes in 2021, a 1,000% jump from 2017, but there has been a "sharp decline" since the rule took effect, Daniel Webster at the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions told The Washington Post.
The ruling was a "rare win" for gun control advocates before this "conservative high court," said CNN. In 2022, the court's "conservative supermajority dove headlong into the deep end of a constitutional pool that seemed to make gun control very hard to defend in court," NPR said. But since then, most of the justices have "seemed a bit hesitant about heading back to the deep end."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
What next?
The Trump administration "has not said whether it would enforce or rescind the ghost gun restrictions," the Post said. Gorsuch's ruling also "left open the possibility" that some fragmentary kits might "fall outside the regulation," The Wall Street Journal said.
-
Political cartoons for February 19Cartoons Thursday’s political cartoons include a suspicious package, a piece of the cake, and more
-
The Gallivant: style and charm steps from Camber SandsThe Week Recommends Nestled behind the dunes, this luxury hotel is a great place to hunker down and get cosy
-
The President’s Cake: ‘sweet tragedy’ about a little girl on a baking mission in IraqThe Week Recommends Charming debut from Hasan Hadi is filled with ‘vivid characters’
-
Witkoff and Kushner tackle Ukraine, Iran in GenevaSpeed Read Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held negotiations aimed at securing a nuclear deal with Iran and an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine
-
Pentagon spokesperson forced out as DHS’s resignsSpeed Read Senior military adviser Col. David Butler was fired by Pete Hegseth and Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin is resigning
-
Judge orders Washington slavery exhibit restoredSpeed Read The Trump administration took down displays about slavery at the President’s House Site in Philadelphia
-
Hyatt chair joins growing list of Epstein files losersSpeed Read Thomas Pritzker stepped down as executive chair of the Hyatt Hotels Corporation over his ties with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell
-
Judge blocks Hegseth from punishing Kelly over videoSpeed Read Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pushed for the senator to be demoted over a video in which he reminds military officials they should refuse illegal orders
-
Trump’s EPA kills legal basis for federal climate policySpeed Read The government’s authority to regulate several planet-warming pollutants has been repealed
-
House votes to end Trump’s Canada tariffsSpeed Read Six Republicans joined with Democrats to repeal the president’s tariffs
-
Bondi, Democrats clash over Epstein in hearingSpeed Read Attorney General Pam Bondi ignored survivors of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and demanded that Democrats apologize to Trump
