Biden announces new regulations on “ghost weapons” in the United States

US President Joe Biden on Monday announced new regulations against firearms, specifically homemade ones, as he faces mounting pressure to take action to target the national crisis of gun violence.

Regulation of so-called “ghost guns” — unregulated, untraceable weapons made from kits — addresses a critical gap in the government’s ability to track them. Precisely, pre-purchase background checks and serial numbers will now be required on some of the components.

Although ghost weapons represent a relatively small part of the weapons recovered by security agencies, they have become increasingly prevalent in recent years.

Assembling these weapons “doesn’t take long”

Biden wore one of the kits for the announcement of the regulations on Monday. And he declared that the measurements are part of “basic common sense” before holding up one of the weapons made from the kit.

“If you buy a sofa that you have to put together, it’s still a sofa. If you order a package like this here, which includes the parts you need and directs the assembly of a working firearm, you bought a gun,” he said, walking towards the kit and demonstrating the ease of assembling the weapon.

“It doesn’t take long,” he said. “Anyone can order them by mail,” he insisted.

Biden also named Steve Dettelbach, a former Ohio federal prosecutor, on Monday as his nominee to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Biden’s previous candidate was forced to withdraw by opposition in the Senate.

“The mission of this agency is not controversial, it is public safety,” Biden said.

What do the new US gun rules include?

The new rule issued by the Department of Justice seeks to curb, precisely, this type of weapon that is increasingly found at crime scenes throughout the country. Ghost Weapon Kits can be purchased online and crafted in as little as 30 minutes. Because regulators can’t trace them, ghost guns attract criminals and people with criminal records, according to officials.

The new rules require anyone who purchases a kit to undergo a background check, as is the case with other types of firearms purchases. It also requires those who sell the kits to mark the components with a serial number, so that the weapon produced can be traced. And it requires firearms dealers to add a serial number to pre-built ghost guns they carry in their shops.

“All of a sudden, they won’t be ghosts anymore,” Biden said of the new rules. “It has a return address. And it will help save lives, reduce crime and get more criminals off the streets,” he added.

“Until now they were not regulated as weapons” in the United States

“Ghost guns look like a gun, shoot like a gun, and kill like a gun. But, until now, they have not been regulated as such,” John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety, said in a statement, praising the Biden administration. for “doubling down on its commitment to gun safety.”

Mia Tretta, who was wounded with a ghost gun during a 2019 California school shooting, similarly praised the administration for taking “a critical step” with the new regulation. Tretta made the introduction to the president this Monday at the White House.

“If you can build an IKEA dresser, you can build a ghost gun,” she said. “Unfortunately, it’s that easy to get a gun that not only changed my life, but did the same to thousands of others. This rule is a critical step in making sure no one else has to go through what my family had to go through.” pass,” he said.

Armed violence is on the rise

The measures come as gun violence and crime are on the rise in the United States. What has pressured the White House to take action. A series of shootings this weekend underscored the emergency again: Four people, including two teenagers, were shot shortly after a Major League Baseball game in Washington on Saturday night, the police said. policeman. In Illinois, six people were injured after a shooting broke out in a residential neighborhood.

Police are also investigating a shooting at a birthday party in Indianapolis, where six people were shot and one more died. In addition, two people were also killed and 10 were hospitalized after a “targeted attack” at a Cedar Rapids nightclub, according to police.

Regular and deadly gun violence is a problem virtually unique to the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) considered gun violence a “serious public health threat” last year. Biden has made modest progress on gun control, but major steps like banning assault weapons or addressing background check loopholes would require congressional action.

“None of this absolves Congress … of the responsibility to act,” Biden added.

Gun violence traditionally increases during the summer months. Which gives greater urgency to the actions of this Monday.

This rule will “make a difference” in the regulation of firearms

The Justice Department had previously launched a national initiative to control ghost weapons, which “will train a national cadre of prosecutors and disseminate investigative and prosecution tools to help bring cases against those who use ghost weapons to commit crimes,” according to the House. White.

Biden said Monday that those who commit a crime using a phantom weapon should “expect federal prosecution.”

“This rule is an important step. It will make a difference, I promise you,” Biden insisted.

Ghost guns have been used in multiple recent shootings. Among them, at a Maryland high school in January. The exact number of these weapons in circulation is unknown, given the inability of regulators to track them.

Between 2016 and 2021, ATF received 45,000 reports of homemade firearms recovered by law enforcement, including 692 homicides or attempted homicides. The agency was able to trace only 1% of them, authorities said, because the firearms lack serial numbers.

States take action against weapons

Several states have taken steps to restrict the sale of ghost guns as they become more common at crime scenes.

Last week, Maryland joined Washington and 9 other states (California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and Virginia) in banning or restricting the purchase or use of bogus weapons.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer again denounced the use of ghost weapons during a news conference on Sunday. In that vein, he called for a crackdown on the rise of homemade firearms and spoke about a deadly shooting in the Bronx on Friday.

The New York Democrat blamed Republicans for delaying gun reform legislation, while pushing the Biden administration to go further. “Today I am calling on the government to go after ghost guns, by enacting regulations that stop them. The federal government has the ability through regulation to stop these phantom guns,” he said.

Still, Biden’s planned gun regulation drew criticism from gun rights advocates even before it was officially announced.

Aidan Johnston, director of federal affairs for Gun Owners of America, said in a statement Sunday: “Biden’s proposal to create a comprehensive national gun registry and end the online sale of gun parts without the approval of a new law exemplifies their disregard for the Second Amendment.”