Justices reverse federal judge’s order that allowed manufacturers to sell unregulated kits that convert into firearms

The US Supreme Court on Monday barred two Texas-based manufacturers from selling products that can be quickly converted at home into firearms called “ghost guns”, granting a request by Joe Biden’s administration to once again block a federal judge’s order that had sided with companies.

The justices lifted Fort Worth-based judge Reed O’Connor’s 14 September injunction barring enforcement of a 2022 federal regulation – a rule aimed at reining in the privately made firearms – against the two manufacturers, Blackhawk Manufacturing and Defense Distributed.

  • SuperJetShoes
    15•2 years ago

    Brit here. I have a couple of questions:

    1. If they aren’t firearms, then what are they sold as? Replicas?
    2. If they aren’t sold as weapons, does that mean someone could import one into my own country?

    (I have no intention of doing this, in case this triggers some GCHQ bot and my home ends up like Waco but without all the tiddies)

      • SuperJetShoes
        4•2 years ago

        Wow what a detailed, well-written and fascinating response. Thank you for writing that, I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

        It would almost be worth putting #2 to the test, just to see what would happen. As you mention it would be a legal minefield.

        Interestingly (and I guess this is the same in the US?), it’s illegal to open someone else’s mail. For sure Law Enforcement could get around that, but they would need a court warrant and you’d have to pity the judge whose desk that landed on.

        The law states:

        84 Interfering with the mail: general

        A person commits an offence if, without reasonable excuse, he—

        intentionally delays or opens a postal packet in the course of its transmission by post, or intentionally opens a mail-bag.

        I think that if the package was innocuous (i.e. didn’t have <b>Jeff’s Gun’s By Post </b> emblazoned on it with a drawing of a strutting Texan blowing the smoke from his revolver), then it could be tough to find “reasonable excuse" to open the package.

        Joking aside, if the recipient was a known member of forums promoting hatred or violence then it could be considered reasonable to make at least a cursory examination based on “why was this package received from from there?”.

        It’s legislation with good solid intent (IMHO), but it’s so vague that it can’t cover everything.

        Nor yet anyway.

        As we come from different nations, our feelings on the matter may differ and I don’t really want to discuss that. But thank you, you’ve made it easier to understand the context.

        • @ClopClopMcFuckwad@lemmy.world
          3•2 years ago

          but they would need a court warrant and you’d have to pity the judge whose desk that landed on.

          I’m not familiar with UK Customs laws, but I highly doubt a Customs officer needs any type of probable cause, let alone a warrant, to look through international mail or cargo.

          • SuperJetShoes
            2•2 years ago

            Hmmm yeah you might be right. As soon as a package is in the hands of Royal Mail then it may not be opened. At Customs, it’s still outside RM’s domain. The Customs guy effectively posts it into the domestic system.

    • @ClopClopMcFuckwad@lemmy.world
      6•2 years ago

      1. There’s a term known as an 80% lower. The lower receiver of an AR style rifle is what’s considered the firearm. By selling an 80% finished product, the seller skirts pretty much all gun regulations as the person isn’t selling a gun, and the buyer has to complete the last 20% of manufacturing which transfers the ownus of the legality onto the buyer/end user. In the USA it is perfectly legal for an individual to manufacturer a gun for their own personal use so long as they are not manufacturing for later sale.

      2. Each country has their own importation rules and regulations. Most likely UK customs will have their own definition of what a firearm is, and will likely not allow an import of finished or partially finished gun parts.

      The FGC9 is a 3D printed gun, developed by a German, specifically for people who do not have access to firearm parts. The FGC9 relies entirely of off the shelf hardware store parts and has been tested to fire multiple hundreds and in some cases thousands of rounds accurately before failure.

    • @Capricorny90210@lemmy.worldEnglish
      1•2 years ago

      1. They can sell parts of a firearm, for instance something like an 80% lower, that may not be regulated the same way as an assembled firearm. They can also sell files if they wished, to print or mill firearm parts.

      2. Still depends on UK laws, sorry I’m not familiar with them past (at least I think) the full ban of handguns.

      • 520
        5•2 years ago

        So for UK firearms, you are allowed them for very specific purposes and can’t ever use it outside of those purposes. You have to make your case and get a license before you can buy a gun more powerful than an air rifle/pistol. You can’t carry in public, even concealed.

        UK law doesn’t recognise the concept of defensive weapons, so if you use one, even in self defense, and you don’t have any legal context for carrying the gun in the first place, you’re fuuuuucked.