(LibertySons.org) – A recent Supreme Court decision supporting President Joe Biden places limits on the sales of “ghost guns” — or firearms that come from kits people can assemble at home. The decision, which specifically targeted two internet sellers, blocked a previous order attempting to override the administration’s actions in enforcing regulations on the companies. Both had been using a loophole in the law’s language to sell the makings of untraceable guns and forgo background checks on potential buyers.
The Biden administration has been fighting its case in the courts ever since the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives first tried to redefine firearms to include ghost gun kits. The move banned their sales and regulated unfinished parts, adding serial number requirements to potential guns and enforcing background checks for people who wanted to buy them legally.
The Washington Post reports that ghost guns have become popular among teenagers as well as criminals who can’t buy firearms through traditional means. Officials say the weapons’ sales, along with violent crimes associated with their use, have increased significantly over the past few years.
Judges released the recent order unsigned on October 16. It only affects a September 14, 2023, United States District Court decision from the Northern District of Texas, noting the administration’s case to firmly settle the dispute is still pending.
US District Judge Reed O’Connor had ordered the injunction that halted the order’s enforcement after another Supreme Court decision in August, which initially reinstated the regulation. O’Connor believed the White House had overstepped its bounds, taking the Gun Control Act, which attempts to regulate firearms in the United States through licensing and background restrictions, well beyond its intended scope. Biden’s administration argued that action was vital to rein in growing numbers of untraceable guns.
The case is set to go to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans next, although it might not end until it reaches a final ruling from the Supreme Court.
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