Topline
President Joe Biden on Monday will unveil a final rule to try and halt the proliferation of “ghost guns,” a homemade gun assembled from parts that can be purchased without a background check that prove untraceable without a serial number, after the number of these weapons linked to criminal investigations has surged in recent years.
Key Facts
The Biden administration will announce a ban on the manufacturing of “buy build shoot” ghost gun kits that can be purchased without a background check, the White House said.
The kits qualify as firearms under the Gun Control Act, the White House says, and sellers must now include a serial number on the product, become federally licensed and run background checks before selling them, like other commercially-made firearms.
The rule also requires federally licensed gunmakers to seize ghost guns and serialize them, according to the White House.
Commercial sellers also will have to keep records of ghost gun sales for as long as they are in business, according to CBS News.
The final rule comes two months after the Biden administration announced a “National Ghost Gun Enforcement Initiative” to offer tools and guidance to help bring cases against those who use the firearms to commit crimes.
Big Number
20,000. That’s the number of suspected ghost guns law enforcement reported recovering last year , a ten-fold increase from 2016, according to the White House.
Surprising Fact
It takes less than one hour for a person with no gunsmithing skills to construct a ghost firearm with just a handful of tools, according to Everytown for Gun Safety, a nonprofit organization advocating for gun control. An AR-15 kit can cost as little as $345, the organization found.
Key Background
The Biden administration first proposed a rule changing how the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) treats ghost guns last May. Previously, ATF did not regulate the weapons as traditional firearms because they are bought and sold as parts to be put together. It’s impossible to know exactly how many ghost guns are in circulation and how much purchases have soared in recent years because of the product’s lack of serial number. For instance, a senior administration official on Sunday told reporters the ATF was able to trace fewer than one percent of roughly 45,000 ghost guns linked to criminal investigations between 2016 and 2021, according to CBS News. The official added that almost 700 of the incidents were homicides or attempted homicides, according to CBS. But Everytown for Gun Safety found that among 80 online firearms sellers, more than 60 percent began selling ghost gun kits within the past five years. The ghost guns have been used in several shootings across the country in recent years, including in 2013, when a shooter in Santa Monica, California killed five people and injured several others with a homemade AR-15.
Chief Critic
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky) in a tweet on Sunday took aim at the rule, claiming the Constitution does not allow the federal government to “prevent you from making your own firearm.” He also cited Article 1, Section 1 of the Constitution, which grants Congress the power to make laws, “not POTUS,” according to Massie.
Further Reading
Biden to announce new nominee to head ATF and rule targeting "ghost guns" (CBS News)
Ghost Guns: What They Are, and Why They Are an Issue Now (New York Times)
Biden Administration Wants To Restrict Sales Of Homemade ‘Ghost Guns.’ Here’s Why. (Forbes)
