President Joe Biden, facing mounting pressure to reduce gun crimes, announced a new rule issued by the Justice Department to limit the use of privately manufactured firearms.
The “Frame or Receiver” Final Rule aims to control a type of weapon that has been increasingly seen at crime scenes across the country, “ghost guns.” Ghost guns are weapons without serial numbers that can be 3D printed or bought in a kit and assembled by consumers. According to officials, ghost weapons are enticing to criminals and individuals with criminal backgrounds because regulators cannot track them.
“Ghost guns look like a gun, they shoot like a gun, and they kill like a gun, but up until now they haven’t been regulated like a gun,” said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety. He commended the Biden administration for “doubling down on its commitment to gun safety.”
Though the new rule does not prevent individuals from 3D-printing gun parts at home, it closes the loophole on the sale of “buy-build-shoot” kits.
“You know, if you buy a couch you have to assemble, it’s still a couch,” Biden said at a live press conference. “If you order a package, like this one over here, that includes the parts you need, the directions for assembling a functioning firearm, you bought a gun.”
In the past, gun kit buyers could bypass gun restrictions such as background checks and waiting period laws. The new law mandates a background check for anyone acquiring a kit, just as is required for other firearm transactions.
It further specifies that companies manufacturing the kits must affix a serial number to each component so that the completed weapon can be tracked. Additionally, gun dealers have to add a serial number to any ghost weapons they come across in their stores.
The law also requires gun kit manufacturers and sellers to obtain a license from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). All licensed gun dealers will have an additional requirement to retain sales records for as long as the business continues to sell firearms. Prior to the rule change, dealers were only required to maintain records for 20 years.
However, some criticize the Biden administration’s new rule.
“The Constitution does not authorize the federal government to prevent you from making your own firearm,” tweeted U.S. Representative Thomas Massie. “This a fact that has been recognized for 200+ years. Also, Article 1, Section 1 (literally the first operative sentence in the Constitution) says Congress makes law, not POTUS!”
The Constitution does not authorize the federal government to prevent you from making your own firearm. This a fact that has been recognized for 200+ years. Also, Article 1, Section 1 (literally the first operative sentence in the Constitution) says Congress makes law, not POTUS! pic.twitter.com/vTFRvKYTVi
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) April 11, 2022
Biden also faced disapproval from the National Rifle Association’s (NRA) managing director of public affairs, Andrew Arulanandam.
“An administration that’s truly sincere and resolute about curbing violent crime rates would do one thing: take violent criminals off the streets immediately,” said Arulanandam to Fox News Digital. “Yet, the Biden administration allows these criminals who kill and maim with callous and reckless abandon, again and again, to roam the streets of Baltimore, Philadelphia, Chicago, New York, San Francisco, and other cities large and small across our country without fear of prosecution and punishment.”
The President also introduced his new nominee for head of the ATF, Steve Dettelbach. If confirmed by the Senate, Dettelbach, a former U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, will be the first permanent ATF head since 2015.
In September, the White House was forced to withdraw its original candidate, David Chipman, from the position due to objections raised by lawmakers.
Chipman, a former ATF career employee, was criticized by gun rights activists and the NRA for his work as a senior consultant to Everytown for Gun Safety and Giffords, the organization founded by former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who was shot at an event in her Arizona district in 2011.
The “Frame or Receiver” Final Rule takes effect 120 days from Tuesday’s announcement.
Note: This article was updated on April 14 at 9:20 p.m. to include additional information.
The NRA (National Guns Manufacturers Association) has populated the US with weapons without any background checks and now place the blame it on the U.S. cities. This is not definitely does not meet the standard of a well regulated militia as specified in the second amendment.