Supreme Court seems open to Biden administration regulation on ghost guns

Potential swing members of the Supreme Court’s conservative majority seemed receptive Tuesday to the Harris-Biden administration’s arguments defending its regulation of so-called ghost guns.At issue before the high court was a regulation mandating manufacturers of gun kits to comply with rules for typical firearms under the Gun Control Act of 1968 including mandating they have serial numbers, among other requirements.

Plaintiffs essentially argued that the administration had stretched the meaning of the law.But during oral arguments, US Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar, who defended the policy, largely seemed to satisfy questions from Justices Amy Coney Barret and Brett Kavanaugh, in particular.

“[Plaintiffs] claim that if a firearm isn’t 100% functional, if it’s missing just one hole that could be drilled in seconds and immediately assembled into a working gun, that product can be sold to anyone online with no background check, no records, and no serial number,” Prelogar argued.“That contradicts the [Gun Control Act] Act’s plain text, and it also contradicts common sense.”The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives brandished the regulation in 2022 that requires manufacturers and distributors of gun kits to add serial numbers, ensure that purchasers are 21 years or older and conduct background checks in keeping with the Gun Control Act.The case was not focused on the Second Amendment.

“Here’s a blank pad and here’s the pen.All right.

Is this a grocery list?” Justice Samuel Alito asked Prelogar at one point.“I don’t think that that’s a grocery list.But the reason for that is because there are a lot of things you can use those products for to create something other than a grocery list,” Prelogar shot back.

After a back-and-forth using the example of a grocery list and as well as another about ingredients that could be used to cook an omelet, Alito concluded the line she drew was over a “group of compon...