As the use of untraceable, improvised weapons in violent crimes escalates, President Joe Biden announced new actions aimed at controlling so-called “ghost guns” on Monday.
Regulators and lawmakers are grappling with a slew of concerns as they try to curb an increase in gun violence that began in early summer 2020. The increase was fueled by gun homicides.
Biden’s announcement
The regulation unveiled Monday by the Biden administration fills a vacuum in the government’s ability to track ghost guns by requiring background checks before kit purchases and serial numbers on specific parts used to manufacture weapons.
Anyone buying a kit now has to go through a background check, which is also needed for other types of firearm transactions. Those selling kits will also be obliged to include a serial number on the components that make up the weapon so that the finished product can be tracked.
In addition, the new laws require gun dealers to add a serial number to any already-assembled ghost firearms they find.
