Judge Said the ATF Cannot Regulate 'An Incomplete Hunk of Metal,' Striking Down Ghost Gun Rule

A federal judge struck down the ATF's 2022 "frame or receiver" rule, ruling it unconstitutional under the Second Amendment and unconstitutionally vague under the Fifth Amendment's Due Process Clause. The States covers the ruling and a related California bill targeting 3D-printed firearm files. Chief U.S. District Judge Reed O'Connor (Northern District of Texas) ruled in Defense Distributed v. Blanche — originally filed in 2022 as VanDerStok v. Garland — that the ATF's rule improperly left the determination of when a partially completed frame or receiver becomes a regulated "firearm" to the agency's "subjective determination," failing to provide fair notice. The ruling grants summary judgment to plaintiffs Defense Distributed and the Second Amendment Foundation on their Second Amendment and vagueness claims, while granting the government summary judgment on the Administrative Procedure Act claim. Second Amendment Foundation Executive Director Adam Kraut praised the ruling; Everytown Law's executive director called it "egregiously wrong," pointed to the Supreme Court's 2025 VanDerStok decision upholding background-check requirements for most ghost gun kits, and said the DOJ is expected to appeal. Separately, California is considering AB 2047, which would require 3D printers to block certain firearm-part schematics. The segment includes testimony from bill sponsor Assemblywoman Rebecca Bauer-Kahan and Everytown for Gun Safety's Crystal Pallotta in support, and opposition testimony from 3D printing marketplace executives and gun-rights advocate David Tobin, who argue the required screening technology doesn't exist and cite DOJ data showing ghost-gun-related crime down 31% statewide (50% in Los Angeles). Critics including the National Association for Gun Rights say a recent amendment — requiring published industry standards by July 2029 — effectively renders the bill unenforceable if that deadline isn't met. Read more at thecentersquare.com.