US Justice Dept. Proposes New Definitions Of Firearm Parts To Combat 'Ghost Guns'

WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 08th May, 2021) The US Department of Justice announced on Friday that it has proposed an update to the definitions of a "firearm" and related parts for the first time in more than 50 years in an effort to crack down on the use of so-called "ghost guns."

"The proposed rule would modernize the definition of 'frame or receiver' and help close a regulatory loophole associated with the un-serialized privately made firearms that are increasingly being recovered at crime scenes across the country," the Justice Department said.

The change in the definitions, last updated in 1968, comes amid an alleged increase in these untraceable weapons that arm criminals who otherwise would not have access to guns. Such firearms are often assembled using kits that are purchasable without the same background check process that would normally occur during the sale of a gun.

The Justice Department said more than 23,000 of the unserialized firearms were recovered by police at crime scenes connected with 325 homicides or attempted homicides in the past four years.

The proposed rule would combat this problem by making clear to retailers that they must run background checks before selling kits that allow people to readily assemble a gun, requiring that manufacturers include a serial number on the frame or receiver found in easy-to-build firearm kits, and requiring federally licensed firearms dealers to have a serial number added to 3D printed guns or other unserialized firearms they acquire.