Washington — The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld a Biden administration rule that regulates unserialized firearms called ghost guns, delivering a win for federal efforts to curb gun violence.
The high court ruled 7-2 in finding that the rule from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is not facially inconsistent with federal firearms law. Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented. Justice Neil Gorsuch authored the opinion for the majority.
The case before the Supreme Court did not involve the Second Amendment, but whether the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives went too far when it issued the rule subjecting ghost guns to the same requirements as commercial firearms.
It follows a decision from the high court last year that struck down a measure from the first Trump administration that outlawed bump stocks, which are devices that increase a firearm’s rate of fire. It’s unclear whether President Trump will keep the regulation in place or take steps to rescind it.
