Biden cracks down on “ghost guns,” which are hard to trace

On Monday, President Joe Biden will unveil new steps to combat so-called “ghost guns,” including an executive order that would tighten limits on weapons that can be constructed in minutes at home and are difficult to track due to their absence of serial numbers.

The new rule, which has been in the works for a year, tackles a type of weapon that has nearly quadrupled in its appearance in police records between 2020 and 2021, according to law enforcement authorities.

“These are the criminal’s weapons of choice,” a Biden administration official said on the condition of anonymity.

According to administration officials, the new regulation specifies that weapons part kits that may be readily built into a functional handgun would be subject to the same criteria as commercially accessible, fully manufactured firearms.

According to the new legislation, dealers selling these weapons component kits must now complete a background check on potential customers.

The US Justice Department stated in a statement that gun kit makers must put a serial number on crucial weapon components, and licenced dealers who take a “ghost gun” into their inventory must likewise include a serial number.

Finally, in order to aid traceability, the new regulation mandates that federally licenced gun dealers preserve records for as long as they are in business, rather than the existing 20-year timeframe.

imits on weapons that can be constructed in minutes at home and are difficult to track due to their absence of serial numbers.

The new rule, which has been in the works for a year, tackles a type of weapon that has nearly quadrupled in its appearance in police records between 2020 and 2021, according to law enforcement authorities.

“These are the criminal’s weapons of choice,” a Biden administration official said on the condition of anonymity.

According to administration officials, the new regulation specifies that weapons part kits that may be readily built into a functional handgun would be subject to the same criteria as commercially accessible, fully manufactured firearms.

According to the new legislation, dealers selling these weapons component kits must now complete a background check on potential customers.

The US Justice Department stated in a statement that gun kit makers must put a serial number on crucial weapon components, and licenced dealers who take a “ghost gun” into their inventory must likewise include a serial number.

Finally, in order to aid traceability, the new regulation mandates that federally licenced gun dealers preserve records for as long as they are in business, rather than the existing 20-year timeframe.

“This rule will make it harder for criminals and other prohibited persons to obtain untraceable guns, will help ensure that law enforcement officers can retrieve the information they need to solve crimes, and will help reduce the number of untraceable firearms flooding our communities,” said US Attorney General Merrick Garland.

The US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) received roughly 45,240 complaints of suspected privately produced firearms recovered by law enforcement from January 2016 to December 2021, according to the Justice Department. According to the study, the complaints were related to at least 692 homicide or attempted homicide investigations.

According to the research, the usage of such weapons has been on the rise, with the number of reports nearly tripling to over 19,000 from 2020 to 2021.

According to the ATF, just 0.98 percent of suspected “ghost guns” given in by law enforcement could be traced to an individual purchaser during the last five years.

Biden will also name Steve Dettelbach, a former US attorney from Ohio, to lead the ATF, the White House announced on Monday, after the president’s initial pick, a gun control supporter, was met with resistance from Republicans and some Democrats in Congress.

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