Well, folks, here's some welcome news for a change. That overreaching ATF rule from the Biden administration that tried to treat your basic 80% frame and "build kit" parts as fully regulated firearms just got tossed out by a federal judge in Texas.
For those who don't know, back in 2022, the ATF under Steve Dettelbach decided they were going to regulate partially manufactured frames and receivers — the kind of thing millions of Americans have used for years to build their own guns. They wanted background checks on these unfinished parts and serial numbers required. It was a classic example of bureaucrats deciding they know better than the American people what we should be allowed to build.
Enter Judge Reed O'Connor, who looked at this mess and said what any reasonable person should have known all along: manufacturing your own firearms is covered by the plain text of the Second Amendment. The ATF tried to justify their rule by pointing to old 18th-century laws about barrel proofing and gunpowder storage, but the judge rightly noted those laws had nothing to do with preventing criminals from getting guns — they were about preventing fires and defective products. Completely different situation.
The really important part? The judge cited research showing that self-manufacturing of firearms was "common and indeed foundational" to our nation. During the Revolutionary War, guys were literally building their own muskets. The right to build your own guns has been largely unregulated for most of American history.
Now, this ruling specifically protects Defense Distributed and SAF members for now, so it's not a complete victory for everyone yet. But it's a strong precedent, and the Trump administration still has time to do the right thing and scrap this rule entirely. Let's hope they do.