American Military News by Liz George May 07, 2021
Biden DOJ proposes changing definition of ‘firearm;’ background checks on gun parts and more ‘ghost gun’ rules
President Joe Biden’s Department of Justice (DOJ)
issued a proposed change to the legal definitions of “firearms” on Friday in an effort to subject more firearms parts to background checks and serial number tracking. It would be the first update to the “firearms” definition since 1968.
According to a notice from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the DOJ seeks to amend the definitions of “firearm” to “clarify when a firearms parts kit is considered a ‘firearm,'” and “help close a regulatory loophole associated with [homemade guns].”
Firearm frames and receivers — which house the firing mechanism — already fall under the definition of “firearms” and are subject to standard firearm rules, such as bearing a serial number, and retail sales transactions taking place only at Federal Firearms License (FFL) holders. Privately sold pieces and unfinished “80%” pieces are currently exempt from those regulations, but the proposed rules would end that exemption.
The ATF website currently
defines a “firearm” as “any weapon (including a starter gun) which will or is designed to or may readily be converted to expel a projectile by the action of an explosive; the frame or receiver of any such weapon; any firearm muffler or firearm silencer; or any destructive device,” which is codified in federal statute 18 U.S.C. 921(a)(3).
More:
https://americanmilitarynews.com/2021/05/biden-doj-proposes-changing-definition-of-firearm-background-checks-on-gun-parts-and-more-ghost-gun-rules/
