Thurs, the #Biden admin announced they are closing what is known as the #"GunShowLoophole," by tightening up the definition of what it means to be "engaged in the business" of selling #firearms.
The #ATF has just implemented a change in the federal register language, which was previously more specific to who was selling guns, & the agency did it in accordance w/the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, passed in 2022.
The admin rolled out the proposed rule in Sept 2023, taking in over 300k comments from the public.
Prior to the passage of the Bipartisan #SaferCommunities Act, those "engaged in the business" of #firearms dealer were required to #register to become a federally #licensed firearm dealer, acc/to the language previously used. The definition that #ATF is implementing on Thurs is more specific to better #regulate the market in accordance w/the new federal #law, acc/to the WH.
The rule now explicitly lists the types of commercial activities that indicate whether a person should become a federally #licensed dealer & thus be required to run a background check; prevents people from evading the licensing & #BackgroundChecks requirements by claiming that they are just selling a few #guns, acc/to the WH; & prevents people from falsely claiming that guns are part of a personal collection & exempt a seller from running a background check on a buyer.
By being more specific & precise in the definition, #Biden admin ofcls on a call w/reporters said it would require more people to register for a federal selling #license & run a background check on the person they are selling to.
#POTUS said in a statement he has spent time w/people who lost loved ones to #GunViolence, & that he is taking action to make sure fewer guns are sold w/o #BackgroundChecks.
“It will also close the #GunShowLoophole & it closes the fire sale loophole as well by clarifying how #firearms dealers who go out of business or lose their #license must go about liquidating their inventory,” #MerrickGarland told reporters. “Under this #regulation, it will not matter if #guns are sold on the internet, at a gun show or in a brick & mortar store, if you sell guns [you] must conduct #BackgroundChecks.”
👏🏻👏🏻“Sale of firearms on internet & at gun shows in US will in future be subj to mandatory #BackgroundChecks, DOJ said as it announced a “historic” new action to keep weapons out of hands of criminals.
There is no argument too pathetic for the #NRA. Enhanced #backgroundchecks are an attack on law abiding citizens? Really? If they're law abiding, they'll pass the background check, just as they do now. What the NRA wants is a completely open system with no #regulations or #restrictions. They want this because it maximizes #gun purchases, and at the end of the day, the NRA is primarily a #lobbying group for the gun #manufacturers. It's all about maximizing #profits.