Ghost Gun Rule: Biden To Announce Firearm Restrictions, New ATF Nominee

The Biden administration will soon make a major announcement over new rules to suppress "ghost guns," unregulated and privately made firearms without serial numbers.

The Associated Press reported that the announcement, which may come as early as Monday, will modify the federal law’s definition of a firearm to include unfinished parts, such as the receiver of a long gun.

It would also require manufacturers that sell the parts needed to make a ghost gun, to have a license and run a background check on customers that purchase kits to make them.

Current laws have made it difficult for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to track untraceable weapons.

The key component in making a ghost gun is the lower receiver, which is a part that is usually made of polymer or metal. An unfinished receiver can be legally purchased online without a license, serial number, or distinct markings.

On Sunday, Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called on the Biden administration to work faster to get rid of ghost guns.

“It’s high time for a ghost gun exorcism before the proliferation peaks, and before more people get hurt — or worse,” Schumer said in a statement. “My message is a simple one: No more waiting on these proposed federal rules.”

Schumer went on to add that ghost guns were “too easy to build, too hard to trace and too dangerous to ignore.”

Along with issuing a new rule on ghost guns, the White House may also name Steve Dettelbach, a former U.S. attorney from Ohio, as Biden’s nominee to run the ATF.

Biden had to withdraw his previous nominee after opposition from Democrats and Republican senators stalled the confirmation to the post.

The Biden administration and the Department of Justice have continued to face pressure to take action against gun fatalities and violent crimes.

News about the upcoming ghost gun rule comes as police across the country continue to find untraceable weapons at crime scenes.