Two conservative justices—Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Amy Coney Barrett—joined liberals in a 5-4 ruling Tuesday that freezes a lower court order banning government regulation of ghost guns. Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh were the dissenters. Ghost guns, or guns that are assembled from parts and lack traditional tracing mechanisms like serial numbers, had the rules surrounding their purchase tightened in 2022. But in June, a Texas judge ruled that this new restriction was overreach from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and blocked it nationwide. This would have made it easier for Americans to purchase parts to build untraceable firearms, particularly for those that aren’t legally allowed to buy regular guns. The Supreme Court’s ruling Tuesday puts a freeze on ending that restriction, however, as its legality continues to be challenged in courts.
