President Biden announced executive action restricting ghost guns during a press conference in the Rose Garden on Monday.
"Ghost guns" are guns assembled from kits that contain the parts necessary to build a firearm. Because these kits are not regulated as firearms, the parts do not have serial numbers, making the guns nearly impossible for police to trace. Justice Department statistics show that between 2016 and 2020, law enforcement officers recovered nearly 24,000 ghost guns from crime scenes.
The new rule "bans the business of manufacturing the most accessible ghost guns, including 'buy build shoot' kits that anyone can buy online or at a store without a background check," The Washington Post reports.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"The idea that someone on a terrorist list could purchase one of these guns is extreme?" Biden asked rhetorically, referring to the NRA's characterization of his new policy. "It isn't extreme. It's just basic common sense." The crowd applauded.
"You know, if you buy a couch you have to assemble, it's still a couch," Biden said. "If you order a package like this one over here that includes the parts you need and directions of assembling a functioning firearm, you bought a gun. Take a look," he continued, stepping away from the microphone and approaching a table, where he picked up a partially assembled firearm.
"Anyone can order it ... a felon, a terrorist, a domestic abuser can go from a gun kit to a gun in as little as 30 minutes," Biden said.
The NRA alleged that a recently passed Maryland law restricting ghost guns would "end the centuries-old practice of individuals building lawful firearms for personal use."
Biden also announced the nomination of Steve Dettelbach, a former U.S. attorney in Ohio, to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, which has been without a Senate-confirmed director since 2015.
-
House posts lewd Epstein note attributed to TrumpSpeed Read The estate of Jeffrey Epstein turned over the infamous 2003 birthday note from President Donald Trump
-
Supreme Court allows 'roving' race-tied ICE raidsSpeed Read The court paused a federal judge's order barring agents from detaining suspected undocumented immigrants in LA based on race
-
South Korea to fetch workers detained in Georgia raidSpeed Read More than 300 South Korean workers detained in an immigration raid at a Hyundai plant will be released
-
Why are Trump's health rumors about more than just presidential fitness?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION Extended absences and unexplained bruises have raised concerns about both his well-being and his administration's transparency
-
DC sues Trump to end Guard 'occupation'Speed Read D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb argues that the unsolicited military presence violates the law
-
RFK Jr. faces bipartisan heat in Senate hearingSpeed Read The health secretary defended his leadership amid CDC turmoil and deflected questions about the restricted availability of vaccines
-
White House defends boat strike as legal doubts mountSpeed Read Experts say there was no legal justification for killing 11 alleged drug-traffickers
-
Epstein accusers urge full file release, hint at own listspeed read A rally was organized by Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, who are hoping to force a vote on their Epstein Files Transparency Act
