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The Biden administration has released new regulations for ghost guns to curb gun violence. A new step was announced on Monday to help law enforcement track unlicensed firearms which have been increasing across the nation. The White House and Justice Department plan to regulate firearm parts and are demanding dealers to stamp serial numbers on ghost guns.
Ghost guns are untraceable homemade weapons that can be assembled from a kit or made with a 3D printer. The weapons can be made for lesser than $200. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has recognized that such weapons are resulting in a rise in gun violence.
Currently, gun manufacturers include serial numbers on weapons but not on most parts of the firearms, which makes it difficult for authorities to trace. Those who wish to buy the kit are not required to undergo background checks either. Though buying the kit or 3D printing is legal, according to the ATF, they have proven to be unsafe.
Speaking about the dangers of unlicensed firearms, Alex Villanueva, the Los Angeles County Sheriff, said in a 60 Minutes interview in 2020:
“If you're a felon or judged mentally unfit, for example, federal law says you're not supposed to have any kind of firearm. Build a ghost gun? No one knows you have it.”
How are ghost guns made?
Marvin Richardson, ATF's acting director, said that one could buy the parts and assemble the pieces together. They can easily be made in 20 to 30 minutes with the help of YouTube instructional videos.
The kit comes with the necessary drill pieces and guides one to build the gun. However, the frame and lower receiver of the firearm are regulated under the federal gun law, which has to be drilled out.
John Miller, NYPD’s deputy commissioner, announced that the firearms could be made simply by pressing a few buttons on one’s computer. He elaborated:
“Today, people can sit at home in their living room, log on to their computer, access a piece of software, send a signal to their printer, and print out a machine gun that can kill people. That's a problem.”
Though ghost guns are not prevalently used, they have been recognized in several shootings across the States. In 2021, San Fransico seized 20% of almost 1,100 guns which were ghost guns.
During the same year, New York law enforcement seized 4,497 firearms, out of which 375 were ghost guns.
Not many days ago, a ghost gun was recovered from a suspect who was arrested for fatally shooting a teenager in the South Bronx.
The new law now requires people to undergo background checks before purchasing the kits, which will include a serial number on different parts of the firearms.
Joe Biden said on Monday:
“It's no longer a ghost. It has a return address. And it's going to help save lives, reduce crime and get more criminals off the streets.”
Customer purchases have also been told to be recorded as long as sellers are in business rather than just for 20 years, which is the current requirement.
