Staff Reports
The Supreme Court recently handed down a ruling that serves up a heaping plate of disappointment for gun rights advocates, upholding the Biden administration’s regulations regarding “ghost guns.” These privately made firearms kits, dubbed as such by the media, are now deemed official firearms under federal law. This means that anyone thinking they could assemble their own firearm without a bureaucratic paper trail will now find themselves navigating a minefield of serial numbers and background checks, courtesy of the ATF.
For those keeping a close eye on the ever-shifting landscape of gun regulations, this ruling isn’t necessarily a Second Amendment issue, at least not in the traditional sense. No, its roots lie deep in the clutches of the current administration’s ineptitude, as they parse every definition and regulation to tighten their grip on the rights of law-abiding citizens to assemble their own weapons. In a surprising twist of fate, however, the man Democrats love to hate, Donald Trump, holds the keys to potentially reversing these regulations. With the stroke of a pen, he could put the kabosh on this convoluted mess that the Biden era has struggled to tighten.
Interestingly, while California has had its own draconian laws against these ghost guns, including penalties that would make even the most hardened criminal think twice, it seems they are still running into massive problems with the proliferation of these firearms. With legislation passed in 2022 to ban the possession and sale of ghost gun kits, one must ask, how are these ghost guns still popping up, accounting for an alarming 25% to 50% of firearms found at crime scenes? Simple—those who want to break the law don’t exactly follow the rules.
Critics point out that the Biden rules miss the mark by a wide margin. The ATF’s move to serialize only the incomplete receiver, while allowing the rest of the kit to remain unserialized, is akin to putting a Band-Aid on a bullet wound. The unintended consequence? Law-abiding citizens get bogged down with red tape while the criminal element brushes aside these new laws like yesterday’s news. With replacement parts for traditionally manufactured firearms included, the regulations seem to do little more than enforce compliance on those who obey the law in the first place.
California officials may be sweating bullets over their diminishing effectiveness with gun control measures, but history shows that more laws are not the answer. The available data suggests that the current approach isn’t just flawed; it’s a disaster. Gun control simply hasn’t worked to keep these weapons out of the hands of those intent on causing harm. The continued presence of ghost guns in crime scenes serves as evidence of this colossal failure.
The ironic twist here? As challenges to the ruling are likely to emerge, conservatives can only hope that Trump takes swift action to dismantle the overreaching regulations imposed by the Biden administration. If he refrains, the door remains open for a host of legal challenges, and California gun limits may soon be the least of their worries. The law doesn’t seem to be working; it’s time for the folks out in Sacramento to face reality instead of burying their heads in the sand.
