The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is keeping its “frames and receivers” rule in place for now, even as it considers potential revisions and faces ongoing legal challenges.
The rule, implemented in 2022, expanded the federal definition of a firearm to include certain unfinished frames, receivers and parts kits — commonly associated with so-called “ghost guns.”
Under the regulation, many partially completed frames and receivers are treated as firearms. Manufacturers must serialize those components, and sales must be conducted through licensed dealers with background checks.
The change closed a regulatory gap that had allowed some kits and unfinished parts to be sold without serialization or background checks.
The ATF had previously sought to pause proceedings in two major federal cases — VanDerStok v. Bondi and Defense Distributed v. Bondi — as it worked on a revised regulatory framework.
Per AmmoLand:
The decision marks a significant pivot for the Trump administration’s Department of Justice, which was formerly under Attorney General Pam Bondi and is now under Todd Blanche. Nearly a year after President Trump directed a comprehensive review of Biden-era ATF regulations on February 7, 2025, the agency appears to have concluded that revising the rule, already upheld in key respects by the U.S. Supreme Court, would be impractical or unnecessary.
The move leaves in place one of the most contentious gun-control measures of the past decade, which regulates so-called “ghost guns” by treating certain unfinished firearm components and parts kits as regulated firearms.
The rule, formally known as ATF Final Rule 2021R-05F and titled “Definition of ‘Frame or Receiver’ and Identification of Firearms,” was finalized on April 26, 2022. It dramatically expanded the regulatory reach of the Gun Control Act of 1968 (GCA). Under the original 1968 law, a “firearm” includes “any weapon…which will or is designed to or may readily be converted to expel a projectile by the action of an explosive” or “the frame or receiver of any such weapon.” Traditionally, the ATF interpreted “frame or receiver” to mean a completed, functional part capable of housing the firing mechanism.
The 2022 rule changed that. It redefined “frame or receiver” to encompass “partially complete, disassembled, or nonfunctional” frames and receivers that can be readily completed with common tools. It also classified certain “weapon parts kits” bundles of components that include an unfinished frame or receiver, along with other parts, as firearms themselves if they are “designed to or may readily be converted” into a working gun.
The rule has become a central flashpoint in the broader debate over gun policy.
Supporters argue the regulation helps prevent untraceable firearms from entering circulation and brings modern gun-building kits under existing federal law. Critics, however, contend it expands ATF authority beyond congressional intent and imposes new burdens on hobbyists and lawful gun owners.
For now, the rule remains in effect, even as potential revisions remain consideration.
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