The administration of US President Joe Biden took action on Thursday to remove legal loopholes that permit individuals to sell firearms without a dealer license, which would oblige them to do background checks on potential buyers.
The Biden-supported Safer Communities statute was approved by Congress in June 2022. In response to the high number of shooting deaths nationwide, particularly in mass shootings, the Justice Department produced comprehensive rules that follow the statute.
The regulations target legal loopholes that have allowed unlicensed gun dealers to circumvent dealer standards by arguing they don’t profit from sales, don’t need a storefront, or have a small amount of sales.
Additionally, it tightens the laws of gun collectors who buy and sell weapons as well as failing gun dealers who sell their stock.
According to the Justice Department, the goal is to compel more gun retailers to check a national database on the backgrounds of potential customers in order to weed out felons and other people who aren’t allowed to buy firearms.
Additionally, it enables the government to follow registered weapons from one owner to the next.
“An increasing number of individuals engaged in the business of selling firearms for profit have chosen not to register as federal firearms licensees, as required by law,” said Steven Dettelbach, director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
“Instead, they have sought to make money through the off-book, illicit sale of firearms,” he said in a statement.
The Justice Department said unlicensed dealing undermines federal rules aimed at increasing gun safety.
“It’s just common sense because we know that background checks are one of the best tools we have to keep dangerous weapons out of the hands of criminals,” White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said.
“This administration respects the rights of responsible gun owners, while also believing Americans have the right to live free from gun violence as well. Those two things can exist.”
A non-governmental organization called the Gun Violence Archive estimates that 44,374 individuals were killed by weapons in the US last year.
According to the archive, there have been 28,793 gun deaths in the first eight months of this year, a modest decrease from last. 55% of all gun deaths in the US are suicides.
