President to wage war on ‘ghost guns’

WASHINGTON: President Joe Biden was due to unveil his administration’s first steps to curb gun violence early today (Thailand time) after a slew of mass shootings put pressure on him to act.

The Justice Department intends to issue a proposed rule within 30 days to help reduce the increasing prevalence of untraceable, self-assembled “ghost guns”, according to a White House official.

The department also plans within 60 days to make clear that devices marketed as “stabilising braces” that effectively turn pistols into rifles will be subject to the National Firearms Act, which requires the registration of firearms.

Other measures include investment in community violence prevention, the planned release of a model “red flag law” that states can use to draft their own versions, and plans for a Justice Department report on arms trafficking. Red flag laws allow courts and local law enforcement to remove guns from people deemed a risk to communities.

Gun control is a divisive issue in the United States, which has experienced a significant number of deadly mass shootings at schools and other public venues for decades. The US Constitution’s Second Amendment protects the right to bear arms.

The administration has been working on gun control measures for months that would limit gun violence without starting a legal battle that could lead to courts quickly dismantling the policies.

The official said Mr Biden would continue to advocate for legislation and called the administration’s planned actions “initial steps”.

Recent mass shootings in Georgia and Colorado have put pressure on the White House to act on its own but legislation is not likely to pass swiftly through Congress.

The top Republican in the US House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy, said the president hoped “to trample over our constitutional 2A rights”, and added: “He is soft on crime but infringes on the rights of law-abiding citizens.”

The proposal is also likely to face legal challenges — the National Rifle Association (NRA) swiftly announced it would fight Mr Biden’s executive actions.

The US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said more than 30% of the illegal weapons it had confiscated in some areas of California are “ghost guns”, not regulated as firearms requiring background checks.