Everytown for Gun Safety, the gun-control organization funded by billionaire Michael Bloomberg, is taking a victory lap this week as the Biden administration’s new rule redefining “firearm” and “frame and receiver” is now in effect.
Starting today, purchasers of certain gun parts and kits will need to undergo a background check and all homemade firearms will have to be serialized.
“Untraceable ghost guns have been a dream come true for criminals and a nightmare for law enforcement, but with this new rule our nation is finally waking up to the threat they pose,” said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety in a press release obtained by GunsAmerica.
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“Ghost guns look like a gun, shoot like a gun, and kill like a gun, and they will now be regulated like conventional guns, thanks to bold leadership from the Biden-Harris Administration,” he added.
While the ostensible goal is to stop bad guys from getting guns, the reality is that the vast majority of violent criminals have no problem sourcing firearms on the black market, as GunsAmerica previously reported.
The sad truth is this new rule will not lead to any material decrease in gun crime or murders.
What it will do, however, is work to dissuade hobbyists, collectors, and do-it-yourselfers from purchasing gun parts and kits and building guns at home.
Between the added costs for the background check at the point of sale and the serialization requirement (Is every gun shop currently equipped to add serial numbers to firearms?), many prospective purchasers will opt to forgo the home-building experience for a commercially assembled firearm.
It goes without saying but when an activity becomes more expensive and complicated, fewer people are likely to participate.
And, of course, when fewer people are likely to do something, it will impact the bottom line of those who provide that good or service. No doubt that many 80 percent retailers and manufacturers will see a loss in revenue moving forward.
But from the gun-control perspective, any regulation that puts a financial hurt on the various constituents of the gun industry is a win.
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“The days of ghost gun manufacturers selling untraceable firearms to prohibited purchasers – including criminals and children – no questions asked, have finally come to an end,” said Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action.
“This life-saving rule is a major victory for the grassroots gun violence prevention movement and we’re grateful for the strong leadership of the Biden-Harris Administration in addressing this deadly threat,” she added.
Looking ahead, law-abiding citizens will comply with the new rules. But violent criminals, the same ones who flout the thousands of existing laws regulating firearms, won’t. They will still source guns illegally and commit crimes. Nothing’s changed. Violent people don’t become less violent because we’ve made it more costly and complicated for good guys to build guns at home.
These every town clowns can take there victory lap head first into wood chipper for all I care, self important asswipes.
“Welcome to the new Polymer 79 website”
It was reported on another 2A site that the ATF said, in court, that the rule only applied to kits, whether as a single package or as the sum individual parts from a retailer.
This is the dumbest rule ever. This law only effects an 80% lowers sold in a kit but can still buy the parts separately and assemble a weapon. These folks are morons.
One thing I have learned since 1994, is that F-troop can come up with all the regulations they want to, and because gun tinkerers are so much cleverer, they will find a way around it. So, now, they are regulating 80% receivers, but what about 0% receivers? Technology is moving faster than regulations are.
What is really the problem here is that the ATF ALLOWED this QUAGMIRE to happen. Letting anyone make a purchase of the 80% lower without any proof of passing a background check was just asking for trouble. A simple proof-of-eligibility to purchase sent to a distributor (such as a copy of their valid permit or CCW) prior to shipment would have kept things in check. You now say, ‘well anyone can make up a fake permit.’ So make it to where the distributor calls the local sheriff where the permit or CCW was issued to verify compliance for the first-time order, then ‘checking the customer off’ as legal for future purchases. Straw purchases? Increase penalties to LONG federal prison terms for those buyers that resell to convicted felons to deter that kind of dealing (of course, the police will have to gather that kind of proof, possibly offering rewards for turning someone in doing the illicit sales).
As far as I can tell, the 80% lowers can still be sold to someone without the serial # applied prior to shipping, but no jigs shipped with them (at least by one manufacturer that I have looked up). The jigs are what seemed to have been halted from sales, along with the instructions. One placed I looked at wanted $35 to engrave numbers, then you have to pay $20 to your FFL to receive it?
First time I’ve posted, so just felt something should be pointed out, no common sense solutions applied to work out a problem by the government, as usual.
“Untraceable ghost guns have been a dream come true for criminals and a nightmare for law enforcement, but with this new rule our nation is finally waking up to the threat they pose,” ???? Let’s see the data!
Yep, I bet every outlaw is really shaking in their boots.
All these DUMB gun laws do is push us closer to TYRANNY.
A serial number on a fire arm has never stopped a crime, never solved a crime, just established that a firearm was made, sold wholesale to a distributor, sold retail to a buyer, who may or may not be the one committing a crime with it. If he did commit a crime, it just proves owner ship and maybe generates another charge to the warrant, but in reality who cares who ‘owned’ it, just who was using it for no good.
When they turn their eyes on black powder guns it may inspire a Million Musket March.
Does this mean you will need to serialize weapons already built ?
No. This regulation applies to the industry and what and how the industry is allowed to sell. It doesn’t apply to Joe Schmoe.
WHAT weapons already built? I don’t know of any – do you…?
From my understanding, the statement that “all homemade firearms will have to be serialized” is false.
This is a regulation, not a law. Industry is regulated, licensees are regulated, but not the people. If an 80% receiver is made available by the industry, it will have to be serialized. If an individual makes a firearm from whatever they have available for their own use, this regulation does not affect them.
Just my understanding. Not a lawyer. But no, not all homemade firearms will have to be serialized.
Where are the lawsuits to stop this in it’s tracks. I obviously don’t need to ask where the NRA is, all they want to do is steal money from gun owners by claiming they support the 2d amendment.
The biggest flaw that our forefathers made was not requiring ALL laws, regulations, and other legislation to be checked for constitutionality. Government should not be allowed to enact or enforce any law that violates the Constitution or the rights of the people, but instead they force illegal and unconstitutional laws on the people which then take years to be stopped, but only if they are challenged and the plaintiff has standing.
I Think that are Government just wants to take our second Amendment away from the people so then they will be able to take full control of the people and I think We The People should stand up and fight