Gun Hobbyists (and Liberty) Win Big in Court
Reason.comDec 19, 2023
SCOTUS to Hear 'Ghost Guns' Case Next Term
The Facts
The US Supreme Court agreed on Monday to take up the issue of whether the Biden administration can lawfully impose regulations on so-called ghost guns.
The case will be argued in the Supreme Court's next term, which begins in October, as both the Biden administration and challengers to its rule have asked for a definitive decision on the issue.
The Spin
Narrative A
Courts across the US have found that the White House and regulators have made up illegal rules against privately made guns to tighten gun control — and hopefully, the Supreme Court will decide the same way. Congress was fully aware of and expressly protected the long-established tradition of at-home gun-making in the Gun Control Act of 1968.
Narrative B
Whether you like it or not, the ATF does have the statutory grounds to enforce the Gun Control Act of 1968, which defines a firearm as any destructive device — including a combination of parts that can be readily converted to expel a projectile. Motivations for the rule and effectiveness may be questioned, but not its legality.
Nerd narrative
There's a 50% chance that there will be at least 1.41 small firearms per capita in the USA by 2029, according to the Metaculus prediction community.