The Washington Examiner is reporting that the Biden administration has taken steps to close the so-called “ghost gun loophole” by declaring “partially complete, disassembled, or nonfunctional’ gun kits are now classified as ‘readily’ available weapons,” which must now have a serial number.
Before such kits may be sold, there must first be a background check on the buyer.
This comes months after the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives issued a ruling on such kits. The policy—Final Rule 2021-05F—applies to partially complete Lone Wolf, Polymer80 and “similar striker-fired semiautomatic pistol frames including, but not limited to, those sold within parts kits, have reached a stage of manufacture where they ‘may readily be completed, assembled, restored, or otherwise converted to a functional frame.’” ATF sent an open letter to thousands of licensed firearms dealers explaining the policy.
In a statement from ATF Director Steve Dettelbach, he explained, “Today’s open letter is another important step in implementing the crucial public safety rule regarding privately made firearms or ghost guns. The partially completed pistol frames described in this open letter are readily convertible to functioning firearms under the Gun Control Act. Ghost guns can kill like other firearms if they are in the wrong hands, so they are treated as firearms under the law. This means that they must have serial numbers so that law enforcement can trace if they are used in crimes like other guns, and also that those engaged in the business of selling them must be licensed dealers and run background checks.”
The term “ghost gun” appears to have been created to apply to homemade firearms bearing no serial number, which means they cannot be traced. Building firearms at home for personal use is a long-standing tradition in the United States.
The Biden administration asserted that more than 45,000 so-called “privately made firearms” have been recovered during crime-related investigations over the past five years.
