The US Supreme Court on Monday agreed to decide the legality of a federal regulation aimed at reining in homemade "ghost guns" as President Joe Biden's administration combats the increasing use of the largely untraceable weapons in crimes nationwide.
The justices took up the administration's appeal of a lower court's decision finding that the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) exceeded its authority in issuing the 2022 rule targeting parts and kits for ghost guns, which can be assembled at home in minutes.
The ATF rule targeted the rapid proliferation of privately made ghost guns bought online without federal requirements such as serial numbers or a background check for buyers - features that make them especially attractive to criminals and others barred from lawfully purchasing firearms, including minors.