Joe Biden has announced an effort to reduce "ghost rifles", kits that can be purchased without a back test, where an active rifle can be made faster, and used in a growing number of shots.
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In a statement, the White House said 20,000 "unlicensed, private" firearms were reported to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) by 2021, a tenfold increase in 2016.
Biden and Lisa Monaco, deputy attorney general, were due to announce on Monday the appointment of Steve Dettelbach, an American lawyer in Ohio from 2009 to 2016, to lead the ATF.
Ghost guns are a growing problem in US law enforcement. An important component in the construction of an irreplaceable gun is a low receiver, a part usually made of metal or polymer. An unfinished recipient - sometimes referred to as an "80% recipient" - can be legally purchased online without serial numbers or other symbols and no license is required.
On Monday, executives also issued administrative action to control “separate” firearms with serial numbers and background checks and required gun dealers to keep sales records for more than 20 years.
Last month, David Pucino, deputy chief adviser to the Giffords Law Center, told the Guardian that the increase in guns was "alarming but not surprising".
He added: “The ghost gun companies did not comply with any of the rules and it is clear that they see that their business exists because of the legal loopholes they can use. They do not want to compete with gun manufacturers who have to follow the rules.
“[Provinces and local governments] use the resources they have, but a united government needs to step in. If the ATF is delayed, more ghost guns will be found and will be used for more shooting. ”
On Monday, the White House said its new law defines “purchase weapons” as firearms under the Firearms Control Act, which means serial numbers must be entered, vendors must be licensed and the domain inspected when purchased.
The Department of Justice will also aim to “convert pre-distributed ghost guns into serialized firearms” by demanding the addition of serial numbers to any resale.
Regarding the law, the White House quoted Biden's statement from New York police headquarters in February: "Not only provincial and local prosecutors will follow, but they expect state and federal prosecutions."
On Sunday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said the Biden administration needed to leave immediately.
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"It's time to dump the ghost gun before it escalates, and before more people are injured - or worse," Democrat said, adding that such weapons "are very easy to build, very difficult to track and very dangerous to ignore."
Dettelbach, however, is likely to be embroiled in a battle for the approval of the Senate led by Schumer. Biden had to withdraw his former ATF nominee, firearm lawyer David Chipman, amid opposition to Republicans and certain Democrats.
The presidents of the Republic and the Democratic Alliance have failed to secure an ATF election. Since 2006 there is only one, B Todd Jones, who won, in 2013 after a six-month struggle.
On Monday, the White House said: "Congress needs to do its job by approving ... the sale and acquisition of unused guns - ghost rifles, the banning of assault rifles and powerful magazines, and the crackdown on gunmen."