By Steve Neavling
Supreme Court Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. agreed to temporarily pause a lower court’s order barring the government from regulating ghost guns, delivering a momentary victory to the ATF, CBS News reports.
A lower court had issued a decision vacating an ATF regulation on ghost guns, which are sold without background checks, are untraceable and end up in the hands of criminals.
Under the measure, which took effect in August 2022, the ATF updated its regulation by extending the definition of “firearm” to include “a weapon parts kit that is designed to or may readily be completed, assembled, restored, or otherwise converted to expel a projectile by the action of an explosive.”
A lower court previously ruled that the ATF exceeded its authority in implementing the rule, which the Biden administration said was necessary after police saw a 1,000% increase in the use of ghost guns to commit crimes between 2017 and 2021.
Alito’s decision revives the regulation until Aug. 4, giving the Supreme Court time to decide if it wants to take up the case.
