SCOTUS Reinstates ‘Ghost Gun’ Regulation
SCOTUS on Tuesday voted 5-4 to permit Pres. Joe Biden’s administration to enforce a restriction on 'ghost guns' — which are made from parts acquired in a purchased kit — while the administration appeals a lower court’s decision....
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Facts
- SCOTUS on Tuesday voted 5-4 to permit Pres. Joe Biden’s administration to enforce a restriction on 'ghost guns' — which are made from parts acquired in a purchased kit — while the administration appeals a lower court’s decision.1
- The administration last year expanded the federal definition of a firearm to include unfinished parts – requiring them to be licensed and feature a serial number. Manufacturers are also required to run background checks on buyers.2
- US District Court Judge Reed O’Connor in July ruled in favor of a group of gun owners, advocacy groups, and entities that make or sell affected products.3
- O’Connor found that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) overstepped its authority. The administration’s request for a pause in the lower court’s ruling eventually landed at SCOTUS.3
- Conservative Justices John Roberts and Amy Coney Barrett joined the court’s three liberal justices in allowing the administration to temporarily enforce the 'ghost gun' rule.4
- The administration’s appeal will be heard in September.3
Sources: 1USA Today, 2PBS NewsHour, 3CBS and 4Al Jazeera.
Narratives
- Democratic narrative, as provided by Vox. Although the country won’t be completely protected until the Biden admin. wins its appeal, the streets are safer today because SCOTUS is allowing the government to keep guns out of the wrong hands. O’Connor, a judge known for ruling with Republicans regardless of the case, ridiculously tried to claim gun parts aren’t guns, but SCOTUS saw through his partisan thinking, so hopefully the appeals courts will as well.
- Republican narrative, as provided by InfoWars. The Democrats’ nonstop attack on the Second Amendment must end. Banning so-called ghost guns won’t make the country safer, but what might reduce crime is reconsidering the progressive law enforcement policies that have turned US cities into war zones. More law and order would do the trick better than taking away people’s right to obtain guns.
