President Biden To Close “Ghost Gun” Loophole

President Biden and Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco announced new measures the administration is taking to combat “ghost guns.”

ATF Rule 2021R-05 bans the business of manufacturing most un-serialized firearm kits, commonly referred to as “ghost guns” or “80 percenters.” Officially called “blank receivers,” they require additional cutting, drilling, and milling and do not meet the current definition of a firearm by the ATF. The kits can be purchased at stores or online without a background check and shipped directly to your front door. They are available in many popular styles, such as AR-15, AR-10, 1911, and several Glock models. They take, on average, one to two hours to build.

According to the Gun Control Act of 1968, building a firearm for personal use without a license or paperwork is perfectly legal. However, this new rule seeks to re-classify these kits as pre-manufactured firearms. Commercial manufacturers will be required to become licensed and include serial numbers on the frame or receiver, and retailers will be required to run background checks on those purchasing. Federally licensed firearm dealers (FFLs) and gunsmiths must serialize any unserialized weapons that they take in before resale. Dealers will also be required to keep all firearm transaction records until they cease operations, at which time they must turn them over to the ATF. Under current law, FFLs must retain their records for 20 years before they can legally destroy them.

According to the ATF, there were approximately 20,000 suspected “ghost guns” recovered by law enforcement in criminal investigations in 2021, and records for approximately 1300 firearms are destroyed each year. ATF Rule 2021R-05 will take effect 120 days from now.

Read the complete text at:

https://www.atf.gov/firearms/docs/rulemaking/final-rule-2021r-05f-definition-frame-or-receiver-and-identification/downloadc

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