Legal/Law/Criminal Justice and Reform

Justice Thomas Slams SCOTUS Majority For Backing Biden’s Ghost Gun ‘Overreach’

(Screen Capture/CSPAN)

Justice Clarence Thomas slammed the majority for backing a Biden administration rule regulating “ghost guns” on Wednesday.

In a 7-2 ruling, the Supreme Court upheld that a rule enabling gun parts kits to be regulated as traditional firearms is not inconsistent with the Gun Control Act (GCA).

“The GCA embraces, and thus permits ATF to regulate, some weapon parts kits and unfinished frames or receivers, including those we have discussed,” Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote in the ruling. “Because the court of appeals held otherwise, its judgment is reversed, and the case is remanded for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.”

FPC LEGAL ALERT: The Supreme Court has upheld the ATF’s “frame or receiver” rule. You can read the opinion here: https://t.co/qcBmmWGcBX pic.twitter.com/uMCAxV9gUq

— Firearms Policy Coalition (@gunpolicy) March 26, 2025

Justices Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented from the ruling.

“The statutory terms ‘frame’ and ‘receiver’ do not cover the unfinished frames and receivers contained in weapon-parts kits, and weapon-parts kits themselves do not meet the statutory definition of ‘firearm,'” Thomas wrote. “That should end the case. The majority instead blesses the Government’s overreach based on a series of errors regarding both the standard of review and the interpretation of the statute.”

Thomas wrote that he would have adhered to the words “Congress enacted.”

“Employing its novel ‘artifact noun’ methodology, the majority charts a different course that invites unforeseeable consequences and offers no limiting principle,” he wrote.

Alito more narrowly said that he is not sure the majority applied the correct test.

“A law passed by Congress or a State Legislature should not be held to be entirely unenforceable just because it would be unconstitutional to apply it in just a few situations,” he wrote. “That would represent unjustified judicial interference with the authority of the body entrusted under the Federal Constitution or the constitution of a State with the authority to make law.”