Explainer

What Are Ghost Guns? What Did the Supreme Court Rule?

An estimated 2,500 ghost guns were linked to criminal activity from 2010 to April 2020.Photographer: Ting Shen/Bloomberg

The US Supreme Court on March 26 upheld the federal regulation of built-at-home “ghost gun” kits, backing a rule put in place during the Biden administration to stem what officials said was a torrent of untraceable weapons.

The 7-2 decision keeps in force a 2022 rule that subjects commercially sold gun kits to the same constraints as fully assembled firearms, requiring that the devices be stamped with serial numbers and that buyers undergo background checks. The Trump administration, which took no position in the court case, will now inherit the regulation.