Joe Biden toughened this Monday in the name of “common sense” the regulation of so-called “ghost” weapons, difficult to detect because they lack a serial number and that can be assembled as a kit at home in just a few minutes.
The US president noted, during a White House event attended by relatives and loved ones of firearms victims, that the number of these “ghost weapons” has increased tenfold in five years, between 2016 and 2021.
Although he was in favor of the second amendment to the United States Constitution, which establishes the right to own a gun, he criticized the powerful arms lobby, the NRA, for having described its regulation as “extreme”.
“Is it extreme to protect the police? To protect our children? … It’s not extreme, it’s common sense,” said Biden, who rigged one of these kit weapons on camera to show how easy it is to assemble.
Biden, whom Republicans accuse of being lax in cracking down on crime, has been trying for weeks to show his support for the police.
Under a new decree, loose parts that can be easily assembled into a firearm will be subject to the same requirements as those that are already assembled.
Those reselling the kits will be required to run background checks on potential buyers or list a serial number on component parts.
– Less than 1% –
From January 2016 to December 2021, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) was only able to trace the owner of a “phantom” gun in 0.98% of cases, mostly in investigations into murders and attempted murders.
According to the Gun Violence Archive organization, more than 11,700 people have died by firearm since the beginning of the year in the United States, including suicides, and in 2021 there were 45,000, which leads the White House to speak of an “epidemic”.
But the powers of the executive, beyond certain norms dictated by decree, are limited.
Biden on Monday reiterated his call for Congress to ban the sale of assault rifles or impose a universal psychiatric and criminal background check system for gun buyers.
He knows that in Congress he has limited room for maneuver and is running up against Republicans who oppose any regulation.
Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton said in a statement that “the regulations do nothing but complicate access to guns for law-abiding citizens.”
The NRA criticized Biden for “another hollow plan” designed to “please his wealthy supporters, supporters of the fight against guns.”
In contrast, Gabrielle Giffords, a former House Democrat and shooting survivor, welcomed the decree. “The battle to end gun violence is still long, but we have won an important victory,” she wrote on Twitter.
New York State Mayor Eric Adams also applauded the decision: “Untraceable ghost guns are just as deadly as other firearms, they should be treated the same and not as curiosities.”
But this former police officer also estimated in a statement that “it was not enough” and called for a regulatory authority.
Biden revealed on Monday the name of his candidate to lead the ATF: former prosecutor Steve Dettelbach. It is the president’s second attempt to appoint someone to the post. The first, with a supporter of the regulation as a candidate, failed due to lack of parliamentary support and due to a campaign by the weapons lobby.
