Bondi v. VanDerStok Supreme Court Ruling
At the end of last year, we reported on a Supreme Court case filed as a challenge to the ATF Final Rule (Garland v. VanDerStok), that was expected to have a decision in the summer of 2025. This case, which has a new name (Bondi v. VanDerStok), had a 7-2 ruling last week in the Supreme Court, to uphold the ATF’s ability to regulate certain firearm parts (i.e. receivers and frames).
The ruling did not make it illegal to make homemade firearms, but it did confirm the ATF’s ability to regulate certain parts, such as receivers and frames. “In its ruling today, the Supreme Court held that courts may evaluate cases of specific firearms kits and other products (like frames and receivers) on an individual basis to determine whether they qualify as “firearms” and can be regulated under the Gun Control Act of 1968,” Mountain States Legal Foundation reported.
Justice Clarence Thomas and Justice Samuel Alito provided dissenting opinions. “The statutory terms “frame” and “receiver” do not cover the unfinished frames and receivers contained in weapon-parts kits, and weapon-parts kits themselves do not meet the statutory definition of “firearm.” That should end the case,” wrote Justice Thomas.
Justice Thomas compared the issue to a hypothetical “what is a motorcycle?” concept. “Consider a hypothetical statute that defines “motorcycle” as “a power-motored, two-wheeled vehicle with pedals,” he wrote. “If a regulatory definition copied the same language, and then added that “the term shall include any motorized vehicle,” the regulatory definition would obviously be wrong. Not every motorized vehicle is a motorcycle.”
This national-level decision could give more traction to our opponents in Texas. HB 226, filed by Terry Meza (D-Irving), seeks to punish a person who manufactures a firearm without a federal license. If passed, this bill would label the offense a Class A misdemeanor. In Texas, a Class A misdemeanor is punishable by up to one year in jail, a fine, or both.
This case was renamed to reflect the current administration. Pam Bondi is currently serving as the Attorney General under the Trump administration. We are still waiting on the results of her review of the Second Amendment, per the Executive Order issued by President Trump in February. Under the Order (“Protecting Second Amendment Rights”), the Attorney General was supposed to review “all orders, regulations, guidance, plans, international agreements, and other actions…to assess any ongoing infringements of the Second Amendment rights of our citizens.” The original deadline on this review was 30 days, which was extended from March 7 to March 16. An update or additional extension has not been announced.
Story by Marissa Brinkman
April 1, 2025