US Supreme Court Revives Biden Administration's 'Ghost Gun Regulation'

As regulations on 'Ghost guns,' which are spreading at mass shooting sites in the United States, are reinstated, attention is focused on whether this will help garner votes from moderate and conservative voters sensitive to public safety ahead of next year's presidential election.

According to major foreign media on the 8th (local time), the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5 to 4 that the U.S. government can once again regulate so-called ghost guns, which lack serial numbers and are difficult to trace, posing a high risk of being misused for crimes.

Ghost guns are firearms that users assemble themselves using gun assembly kits purchased online or elsewhere. They are excluded from regulations applied to finished firearms and lack serial numbers, making them difficult to trace if used in crimes.

Under current law, gun parts are classified as simple parts rather than firearms and are not subject to any regulations. As a result, people prohibited from possessing firearms, such as convicted felons, domestic abusers, individuals with mental illnesses, and children, can easily access them.

According to the U.S. government, about 20,000 ghost guns were found at crime scenes in 2021, an increase of more than tenfold in five years.

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

Earlier, the Biden administration announced regulatory measures to classify gun parts as firearms, require serial numbers, and conduct background checks when purchasing gun parts.

However, a federal court in Texas blocked the enforcement of these regulations. In response, the Biden administration filed an emergency petition with the Supreme Court to suspend the Texas court's decision, which the Supreme Court accepted that day.

While trials proceed in appellate courts, the Biden administration can enforce regulations on ghost guns.

Among the six conservative justices, two?including Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Amy Coney Barrett?sided with the Biden administration in this decision.