{"id":2648025,"date":"2026-08-21T19:24:06","date_gmt":"2026-08-21T23:24:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/federal-judge-rules-biden-era-frame-and-receiver-rule-violates-second-amendment\/"},"modified":"2026-08-21T19:28:22","modified_gmt":"2026-08-21T23:28:22","slug":"federal-judge-rules-biden-era-frame-and-receiver-rule-violates-second-amendment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/federal-judge-rules-biden-era-frame-and-receiver-rule-violates-second-amendment\/","title":{"rendered":"Federal Judge Rules Biden-Era &#8216;Frame and Receiver Rule&#8217; Violates Second Amendment"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ffederal-judge-rules-biden-era-frame-and-receiver-rule-violates-second-amendment%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2648025&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A recent court ruling has declared a Biden-era ATF regulation targeting &#8220;ghost guns&#8221; unconstitutional on constitutional grounds and for vagueness. Chief Judge Reed O\u2019Connor of the Northern District of Texas found that the updated definition of a &#8220;frame or receiver&#8221; was too vague and failed to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-appoints-radical-activist-immigration-judge-that-wants-to-abolish-ice\/\" title=\"Biden Appoints Radical Activist Immigration Judge That Wants to Abolish ICE\">give proper notice<\/a> to individuals, making it void. The ruling also concluded that the regulation violated the Second Amendment, affirming the historical tradition of firearms manufacturing and personal gunsmithing in the United States. While the decision invalidates certain aspects of the ATF rule, it upheld other claims related to administrative procedures, noting that the agency sufficiently justified it&#8217;s regulatory changes. This decision follows a broader legal context, including the Supreme Court\u2019s 2025 decision that permitted the ATF to regulate ghost guns without serial numbers.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><br \/>\n<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\"><br \/>\n<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><html><body><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>A federal judge has ruled that a Biden-era ATF rule targeting so-called ghost guns violates the Second Amendment and is unconstitutionally vague.<\/p>\n<p>Chief U.S. District Judge Reed O\u2019Connor of the Northern District of Texas issued a final judgment in favor of Defense Distributed and the Second Amendment Foundation this week.<\/p>\n<p>The case challenged the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives\u2019 April 2022 rule that expanded <a href=\"https:\/\/www.atf.gov\/rules-and-regulations\/definition-frame-or-receiver\/summary\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the definition<\/a> of a \u201cframe or receiver\u201d and essentially targeted gunsmiths.<\/p>\n<p>The updated definition stated:<\/p>\n<p><em>Definition of a \u201cframe or receiver\u201d includes a partially complete, disassembled, or nonfunctional frame or receiver that has reached a stage in manufacture where it may quickly and easily (\u201creadily\u201d) be made to function as a \u201cframe or receiver\u201d and expressly excludes a block of metal, liquid polymers and other raw materials or a frame or receiver that has been destroyed.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The rule also updated the definitions for the terms \u201ccomplete weapon,\u201d \u201ccomplete muffler or silencer device,\u201d \u201cprivately made firearm,\u201d and \u201creadily.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ammo Land <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ammoland.com\/2026\/08\/atf-frame-receiver-rule-defense-distributed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">reported<\/a> the ATF could also consider other parts, templates, and instructions when determining whether a part fell under the rule.<\/p>\n<p>O\u2019Connor <a href=\"https:\/\/cdn01.dailycaller.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/2026-08-17%20Opinion%20%5Bdckt%20330_0%5D.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">found<\/a> that approach failed to give ordinary people proper notice if their firearms were suddenly deemed illegal.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause the Final Rule fails to provide appropriate guidance, it is void for vagueness,\u201d the judge wrote, according to a copy of the ruling <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2026\/08\/18\/breaking-federal-court-blocks-bidens-ghost-gun-rule-on-2a\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">obtained by<\/a> The Daily Caller.<\/p>\n<p>O\u2019Connor concluded it invited arbitrary enforcement and created more unpredictability than the Fifth Amendment allows.<\/p>\n<p>The judge separately ruled that the rule violated the Second Amendment, which protects the right to make and repair a personal firearm.<\/p>\n<p>O\u2019Connor rejected the government\u2019s reliance on colonial-era gunpowder storage and gun barrel laws.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Final Rule does not merely <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/federal-court-strikes-down-biden-era-atf-ghost-gun-restrictions\/\" title=\"Federal court strikes down Biden-era ... ghost gun restrictions\">lack supporting analogues<\/a>,\u201d O\u2019Connor wrote. \u201cIt contradicts the actual historical tradition of personal gunsmithing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He added, \u201cSelf-manufacture of firearms in America was common and indeed foundational to establishing our Nation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ammo Land reported that O\u2019Connor found the historical tradition strongly supported the unregulated self-manufacturing of arms dating back to the 19th century.<\/p>\n<p>The ruling was not a complete win for gun rights:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><em>The plaintiffs lost on their Administrative Procedure Act claims.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>The judge found that the ATF adequately explained its change in position by referencing technological advances, crime data, and the grandfathering of prior classifications. The Rule relied on means-end scrutiny, but Bruen was decided after the Rule was issued, so there was no failure to consider then-controlling law.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The ruling comes after the Supreme Court\u2019s 2025 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/crs-product\/LSB11325\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">decision<\/a> in <em>Bondi v. VanDerStok<\/em>, which allowed the ATF to regulate \u201cghost guns\u201d without serial numbers.<\/p>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #171717; display: flex;font-size: 16px;font-weight: 600;line-height: 1.5;margin: 24px 0;padding: 18px 20px 18px 30px;text-align: left;\">\n<div style=\"align-self: stretch;border-left: 3px solid #171717;flex-shrink: 0;padding-left: 20px;\"><\/div>\n<p><a style=\"text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/\">Choose The Western Journal as your preferred source on Google and never miss reporting that defends truth, protects freedom, and advances Western civilization<\/a><\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey == typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts = { \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs = [ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i = 0; i < inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! 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