(RepublicanJournal.org) – The administration has had guns in its crosshairs since President Joe Biden took office. Over the past few years, officials have tried to pass legislation implementing more control measures. They succeeded in 2022, passing the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which broadened the category of sellers required to become licensed dealers and thus, run background checks on gun buyers. Now, the administration has taken things a step further.
On Thursday, April 11, the Biden Administration announced that the Justice Department finalized a new rule pertaining to licensing and background checks. It closes a supposed loophole in the gun-selling process by mandating that those who sell the weapons for profit, whether online or at gun shows, register and obtain a license.
The new rule goes into effect 30 days from the date of the announcement and has several provisions including:
- Listing types of activity that require a person to become licensed and run background checks.
- Eliminating a loophole for online or gun show sales by requiring anyone “intending to profit from the sale” to have a license.
- Preventing those who claim to sell just a few guns from evading the licensing requirements.
- Closing the firesale loophole, which prohibits people who have lost their license from transferring inventory without proper checks.
- Preventing the false claiming of a weapon as part of a personal collection to avoid licensing and running background checks.
Previously, people who sold firearms at a gun show would not have to run a check on the buyer or even hold a license. This new rule will make it harder for buyers and sellers alike.
The National Rifle Association (NRA), which opposes background checks, has not spoken out about the newest rule yet. However, the organization believes “there is no such thing as the Gun-Show Loophole.” Further, it has a firm stance that expanding background checks is just the next step toward “a national gun registry.”
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