Podcast: Firearms Policy Scholar David Kopel on Fallout from the SCOTUS ‘Ghost Gun’ Ruling

This week, we’re taking a close look at the Supreme Court’s ruling in Bondi v. VanDerStok.

To do that, we have the Independence Institute’s David Kopel on the show. Kopel has written extensively on gun policy and been cited repeatedly at the Supreme Court. So, there are few people better qualified to dissect what the VanDerStok ruling means.

Kopel argued the decision upholding the ATF’s “ghost gun” kit ban is relatively narrow, but still likely applies to more than just the Polymer80 “buy build shoot” kits discussed at length by the majority. He also explained why the majority decided the case as a facial challenge and why he, along with Justices Thomas and Alito, disagrees with the use of that standard.

He said the Trump Administration could have tried to intervene in this case, but didn’t move fast enough. However, he argued that it can still try to undo the rule despite the decision. Kopel also gave his view on where the balance of the court lies on gun issues and whether there’s a reliable way to read what they might do with other pending gun cases.

You can listen to the show on your favorite podcasting app or by clicking here. Video of the episode is also available on our YouTube channel. An auto-generated transcript is available here. Reload Members get access on Sunday, as always. Everyone else can listen on Monday.

Get a 30-day free trial for a subscription to The Dispatch by clicking here.

Plus, Contributing Writer Jake Fogleman and I talk about Vanderstok. We also discuss the financial troubles hitting the gun-control group March for Our Lives. Finally, we cover an outlier federal ruling on New York City’s stun gun ban before highlighting DOJ’s plans for the ATF and investigation into California’s gun-carry permitting.

Audio here. Video here.

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Created by potrace 1.16, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2019

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Created by potrace 1.16, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2019

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