United States President Joe Biden unveiled on Monday a new federal rule targeting privately made firearms known as "ghost guns," which drew criticism from a Republican official who said it was Congress that makes laws, not the POTUS.
The Democrat's new order seeks to address the rising number of gun violence in the country, including in New York City. Ghost guns are firearms that have no serial numbers, are difficult to trace, and are increasingly cropping up in violent crimes across the nation. However, Biden's efforts face difficulties from gun-control opposition to address firearm deaths.
Federal Rule on Ghost Guns
Biden spoke at the White House and highlighted the Justice Department's work to finalize new regulations to crack down on ghost guns in the United States. He also announced his nomination of Steve Dettelback, who previously served as a U.S. attorney in Ohio from 2009 to 2016, to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (BATFE).
In his remarks, the U.S. president said that law enforcement was "sounding the alarm" over the rising number of gun violence cases due to ghost guns. He briefly held one of the privately made firearms up for the camera to see in the Rose Garden. The Democrat said that communities across the nation were paying the price, as per the Associated Press.
Read Also: 2 Men Arrested, Charged With Impersonating Federal Agents, Giving Gifts to Secret Service Personnel
However, Rep. Thomas Massie and several Second Amendment advocates are criticizing Biden's new rule and are pushing back against the administration's crackdown on ghost guns, characterizing the rule as being unconstitutional. The Republican lawmaker said that the Constitution does not allow the federal government to prevent Americans from making their own firearms.
Biden's administration aims to reclassify gun kits to count as firearms under the Gun Control Act, which would require manufacturers to be licensed and include serial numbers on the kits. Furthermore, commercial sellers will be mandated to conduct background checks before selling the kits to a customer, said senior administration officials.
Rising Number of Gun Violence
According to Fox News, NRA managing director of public affairs Andrew Arulanandam said that if a government was truly sincere and resolute about curbing gun violence they would instead focus on taking violent criminals off the streets. He argued that Biden allows these criminals to run rampant in various regions in the U.S. without fear of prosecution or punishment.
However, Biden said that his new federal rule would allow law enforcement officials to have an easier time tracking and catching individuals who use illegal firearms. In his remarks at the White House, the Democratic president said that ghost guns were the "weapons of choice" for many criminals in the country.
The official said that his administration was doing everything it can to deprive criminals of that choice and capture them to bring them to justice. Biden added that if a person was to commit a crime with a ghost gun, they should expect federal prosecution.
There were roughly 20,000 suspected ghost guns reported to the ATF as having been recovered by law enforcement in 2021. The firearms were taken during criminal investigations and the number was a tenfold increase from five years prior, The Guardian reported.
Related Article:
Times Square Explosion: Videos, Panicked Reactions, and What's Really Behind Scary Blast
