They’re coming for your guns — but first, they’re just coming for your data.
The anti-gun Left has found its perfect Trojan horse: ghost gun laws. What started as fearmongering about “untraceable weapons” has morphed into the most comprehensive gun registration scheme in American history. And thanks to a Supreme Court that prioritized bureaucratic authority over constitutional rights, we’re watching the foundation of a federal gun registry being built before our eyes.
Let me be crystal clear: Ghost gun laws have nothing to do with public safety and everything to do with creating a permanent database of every gun owner in America.
The Supreme Court’s Misstep: Bondi v. VanDerStok
In March 2025, the Supreme Court handed the gun control lobby one of its most significant victories in years. The 7-2 decision in Bondi v. VanDerStok didn’t just uphold the ATF’s so-called “ghost gun” rule — it granted unelected bureaucrats broad leeway to redefine what constitutes a firearm.
Justice Gorsuch’s majority opinion focused mainly on the technicalities of administrative law, rather than addressing the more profound Second Amendment questions at stake. In the process, the Court ruled that the ATF can classify a box of metal parts as a “firearm” if those parts can be assembled “readily.”
That ruling ignores an important piece of American history: for more than two centuries, Americans have had the freedom to build their own firearms without seeking government permission. The Founders certainly didn’t ask the Crown for serial numbers when crafting their muskets — and until now, that tradition has been preserved.
This was a disappointing decision, especially at a time when federal agencies have shown an increasing willingness to push the boundaries of their regulatory power. Still, while this case was a setback, the fight for gun rights is far from over, and the Supreme Court remains one of the few institutions where those rights can still find protection.
The Registration Scheme Hidden in Plain Sight
The ATF’s ghost gun rule isn’t just about serialization — it’s about creating a comprehensive firearm tracking system that would make the Stasi jealous. Here’s what they’re building:
Permanent Record Keeping
Under the new rules, FFLs must maintain records of all ghost gun transactions forever. Not 20 years. Not until they close shop. Forever. The ATF now has access to a distributed database containing every single firearm transaction, ready to be centralized at a moment’s notice.
Mandatory Reporting to Government Databases
States like California, Connecticut, and Maryland don’t just require serial numbers — they require you to request those numbers from state police. Every homemade firearm must be reported to the government, creating a registry of previously private activities. In Maryland, you literally have to register your serialized ghost gun with the state police.
Component-Level Tracking
The endgame isn’t just serializing complete firearms. Congressional proposals, such as the Ghost Guns and Untraceable Firearms Act, have sought to require the serialization of individual components. Springs. Triggers. Barrels. Every part tracked, every purchase recorded, every modification logged.
This isn’t speculation — it’s already happening. The ATF’s own data shows they’re maintaining over 285 million firearm records in their database. Add ghost gun tracking to this system, and you have de facto registration.
California has been pushing the latest component-level scheme by passing a law requiring background checks for gun barrels:
The Constitutional Catastrophe
Let’s talk about what ghost gun laws really represent: the complete abandonment of founding principles.
There is no historical tradition of serialization requirements. When legal scholar Joseph Greenlee examined the historical record, he found that “restrictions on self-made arms have been rare throughout American history.” The Bruen decision requires that gun laws have historical analogues — homemade firearm laws, however, have none.
But the gun grabbers don’t care about history. They care about control. And they’ve found willing accomplices in judges who twist the Constitution to match their policy preferences.
The Privacy Invasion
Ghost gun laws force you to declare your previously private activities to the government. Built a firearm in your garage? Report it. Modified a receiver? Get permission. These laws transform a constitutional right into a government-granted privilege.
The Incremental Tyranny
This is how rights die — not all at once, but piece by piece:
- First, they serialize “dangerous” ghost guns;
- Then they expand serialization to all parts, components, and accessories, which would require a background check;
- Next, they require registration “for public safety;”
- Finally, they have a complete database for confiscation.
We’ve seen this playbook before. In Canada. In Australia. In the UK. Registration always leads to confiscation.
The Industry Destruction Campaign
The ghost gun crackdown isn’t just targeting your rights — it’s systematically destroying American businesses. Polymer80, once the nation’s largest manufacturer of parts kits, has been sued into submission. They’ve paid millions in settlements after being pulled into a new lawsuit twice a month.
This is economic warfare against the Second Amendment. When you can’t ban guns outright, you bankrupt the manufacturers. When you can’t confiscate firearms, you create regulations so onerous that compliance becomes impossible.
State-Level Tyranny: The Laboratory of Gun Control
While we fight federal overreach, states are racing to implement even more draconian measures:
California now requires state AND federal licenses just to use a 3D printer for firearm manufacturing. Every serialized firearm must be registered with the California DOJ.
New York has criminalized possession of any “major” unserialized firearm component. Get caught with an 80% receiver? That’s a felony.
Colorado passed a “grace period” law in 2023, which gave gun owners until 2024 to comply with a clear message: serialize your existing guns or become a criminal.
Washington pioneered this tyranny in 2019, establishing a framework that other states are now emulating. Their “comprehensive” approach is comprehensive oppression.
The Technology Excuse
The anti-gunners love to claim that technology justifies their tyranny. “3D printers didn’t exist in 1791!” they cry. Neither did the internet, but we still have free speech protections online.
The Second Amendment protects the right to keep and bear arms, not just the arms that existed in the 18th century. If technology can expand government power, it can also expand individual liberty. But the gun grabbers only see technology as a tool for control.
The Real Agenda: Total Information Awareness
Connect the dots. This isn’t about safety – it’s about surveillance.
Every serialized part creates a data point. Every background check adds to the database. Every registration feeds the system. They’re building a comprehensive map of American gun ownership, one “common sense” law at a time.
And when the next anti-gun administration takes power — when someone who makes Biden look moderate sits in the White House — they’ll have everything they need. Every gun. Every owner. Every location.
Fighting Back: What You Can Do
We’re not going down without a fight. The National Association for Gun Rights is leading the charge against these unconstitutional laws. We’ve challenged them in court, exposed them in the media, and mobilized millions of gun owners to resist.
But we need you in this fight. Here’s what you can do right now:
1. Sign the Petition: Add your name to our Make America Armed Again petition. We’re building a movement to restore our Second Amendment rights, starting with repealing every ghost gun law on the books.
2. Contact Your Representatives: Tell them you oppose any serialization requirements, any registration schemes, and any expansion of ATF authority. Make it clear: politicians who support gun control will be former politicians.
3. Support Legal Challenges: The Supreme Court may have failed us in VanDerStok, but the constitutional fight isn’t over. We’re funding challenges to state ghost gun laws and building cases that force courts to respect the Second Amendment.
4. Build Your Own: While it’s still legal in your state, exercise your right to build firearms. The more Americans who understand this fundamental freedom, the harder it becomes for politicians to steal it.
The Bottom Line
Ghost gun laws are not about preventing crime. Criminals don’t serialize their weapons. They don’t submit to background checks. They don’t register with the government.
These laws target one group: law-abiding Americans who dare to exercise their constitutional rights without government permission.
The serialization requirement is just the beginning. The registration mandate is next. And confiscation inevitably follows.
We’ve watched this happen in country after country. We’ve seen rights stripped away in the name of “safety.” We’ve witnessed the transformation of free citizens into disarmed subjects.
Not on our watch.
The ghost gun fight is the frontline battle for the Second Amendment. If we lose here, we lose everywhere. If they can force the serialization of homemade firearms, they can force registration of all firearms. If they can track every part, they can track every gun.
This must be our line in the sand.
Join us. Sign the petition. Fund the fight. Because if we don’t stop them here, there won’t be a Second Amendment left to defend.
TAKE ACTION NOW
Sign the Make America Armed Again Petition and tell Congress to repeal all ghost gun laws and defend our constitutional right to build firearms without government interference!
Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing herein should be construed as legal advice. Laws and regulations regarding firearms and firearm accessories vary by jurisdiction and are subject to change.
The National Association for Gun Rights (NAGR) does not provide legal advice. If you have legal questions or concerns regarding firearm ownership, modifications, or usage, you should consult with a qualified attorney who is familiar with the applicable laws in your area.
This article was written and has not been updated since Tuesday, June 10, 2025.
About the Author
Dudley Brown is the President of the National Association for Gun Rights and one of the most influential gun lobbyists in America. With over 30 years of experience fighting for the Second Amendment, Dudley has led legislative battles in statehouses across the country and built some of the most powerful grassroots networks in the movement. He founded Rocky Mountain Gun Owners in 1996 and now leads NAGR as it fights back against federal gun control. A long-time weapons expert and host of the YouTube show Dudley’s Range Rogues, Dudley lives behind enemy lines in Northern Colorado, where he enjoys good bourbon, vintage machine guns, and reminding politicians exactly what “shall not be infringed” means.
Follow @dudleywbrown
