Supreme Court Allows Biden Administration to Continue Regulations on ‘Ghost Guns’

The Supreme Court on Monday told a Fifth Circuit Court in Texas that they must leave the government's ban on "ghost guns" in place, rejecting their challenge.

"Ghost guns" are firearms that have been disassembled and unmarked so that they can be purchased online and then reassembled into fully operative weapons.

In August of 2022, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and Explosives required unassembled gun parts to be labeled with serial numbers and for purchasers to undergo background checks. Gun manufacturers challenged these regulations and Texas Federal Judge Reed O'Connor issued an injunction statewide that stopped the ban from going into effect.

However, the high court blocked the Texas decision from moving forward, prompting the gun manufacturer to return to Judge O'Connor where they once again won an order blocking the ban, which was upheld by the Fifth Circuit.

The government asked the Court to intervene, in order to emphasize that lower courts should not "countermand" the Supreme Court's "authoritative determination."

The Supreme Court, without any noted dissent, has voided the lower court decisions, allowing the regulations from the ATF to take effect.