EXPLAINER: What Are Ghost Guns? Why Is Biden Taking Action?

The Biden administration is introducing a comprehensive rule aimed at curbing the proliferation of ghost weapons, illegal firearms that are on the rise at crime scenes across the country.

The White House Justice Department says the Firearms Parts Regulation requires traders to indicate ghost weapon serial numbers will help fight violent crime and help investigators solve crimes. However, armed groups claim the government is exaggerating that its rules violate federal law.

Here is the ghost weapon in the ongoing debate in the US

WHAT IS THE RIGHT?

This is a private firearm with no serial number.

Generally, firearms manufactured by licensed companies must have serial numbers, which usually appear on the firearm frame, allowing officers to trace the firearm from the manufacturer, firearms seller, or original buyer.

Ghost weapons, on the other hand, are made up of parts and then assembled together. The most important component of creating a weapon that is not traceable is what is known as the bottom receiver. Some are sold in self-made packages, and the barrels are usually made of metal or polymer.

An incomplete recipient, sometimes referred to as an "80% recipient," may be legally purchased online without a serial number or other designation, without a license. Under current regulations, the federal government does not consider firearms to be incomplete.

WHAT DID THE RULES DO?

This changes the definition of firearm. Federal firearms retailers will be required to add serial numbers to ghost rifles.

For years, the Bureau of Alcohol, Cigarettes and Firearms has argued that unfinished bottom drawers do not meet the legal definition of firearm. And there is nothing illegal in the production of your firearms.

Make your own firearms legally if they are for personal use - you will not sell them. But if you are in the gun business, you need a federal firearms license.

Under the new standard, the definition of a firearm will change to include unfinished parts such as a pistol grip or a long pistol grip. The rule also requires that such products be licensed to include serial numbers. Sellers must also verify the certificate before selling, as is the case with other firearms.

The requirement applies regardless of how the firearm is made, meaning that it includes ghost weapons made from individual parts, kits or 3D printers.

It will also be necessary to increase the serial numbers of federally licensed dealers and gunsmiths who carry firearms without serial numbers. This means, for example, that if someone sells a ghost weapon to a pawn shop or other authorized dealer, the dealer must enter his serial number before selling the weapon to someone else.

WHAT ARE THE IMPORTANT RIGHTS OF GUESTS?

Ghost weapons are not new. But they are becoming a growing problem for law enforcement in the US.

Federal officials warn of a rise in the market for semi-automatic rifles. Pistols without serial numbers were more common at the crime scene. They also become more common when federal agents secretly obtain weapons from gang members or other criminals.

The ghost weapon was discovered in 2013 when shooter John Zavari opened fire on a college at the University of Santa Monica in California. Six people were killed, including Zawara's father and brother. The suspect mounted an AR-15 without passing inspection by an arms dealer.

A mobster who killed his wife's four children in Northern California in 2017 was banned from carrying a firearm but designed his weapon to circumvent a court order before anger erupted. And in 2019, in one of the suburbs of Los Angeles, a teenager shot two classmates with a homemade pistol, insulting three of them.

Since then, ghost weapon sales have exploded. It is difficult to say how many of them are on the streets, also because in many cases police units are not affiliated with the government regarding weapons, as no trace of them can be found.

Justice Department statistics show that between 2016 and 2020, law enforcement found about 24,000 ghost weapons at the crime scene. The New York Police Department said police have found 131 firearms without a serial number since January.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT?

The Department of Justice announced that the rule would take effect 120 days after it was published in the Federal Register. However, this rule is likely to face fierce resistance from armed groups, who will file lawsuits in the coming weeks. Even before the rule was introduced, more than a year passed. In April 2021, Biden announced plans to introduce stricter rules for ghost weapons.

The American gun owners vowed to fight the rules immediately, to sue the ATF for "breaking the rules".

Why are ghost pistols so popular and controversial?