The US Department of Justice presented new regulations on Friday aimed at combating the proliferation of so-called
"ghost"
weapons
,
which are handcrafted and have no serial number.
Democratic President Joe Biden on April 9 unveiled a plan to tackle the
"epidemic"
of gun violence, including measures against
"ghost"
weapons
prized by criminals because they are easy to obtain and difficult to trace. .
Read also: United States: Biden proclaims more gun controls
The new rule first provides for requiring manufacturers to include a serial number on the carcasses of kits sold in order to assemble this type of weapon.
The gunsmiths, for their part, will have to check the backgrounds of the buyers of these kits as they already do for firearms, and add a serial number to the weapons made with 3D printers that will enter their inventory.
"The proposed rule will keep guns out of the wrong hands and make it easier to trace weapons used in violent crime
,
"
Justice Minister Merrick Garland said in a statement.
According to his services, more than 23,000 firearms without serial numbers were seized by law enforcement at crime scenes between 2016 and 2020. The new rule will be subject to public comment for 30 days before the publication of its final version. Joe Biden, a longtime advocate for better gun regulation, pledged during his campaign to act on this front. A recent spate of shootings, including killings in Georgia and later in Colorado, has increased pressure for him to take action.
But he does not have a strong enough majority in Congress to pass sweeping laws, with Republicans staunchly opposed to any attempt to regulate the sale and carrying of arms. Guns killed more than 43,000 people last year, including suicides, in the United States, according to the Gun Violence Archive.