A group of Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee have begun the process of getting the Biden Administration to drop proposed regulation on “ghost guns.”
For those unfamiliar with the term “ghost gun” or those looking for more clarity on the term amidst the misuse of the term, know that the term is used to refer to any unserialized firearm. This term does not apply to firearms that have had serial numbers removed but instead it refers to firearms that have never had a serial number.
Back in may the ATF changed the definition of firearm so that it included any gun that was assembled at home. This raised a lot of red flags with the firearms community and several members of Congress. Hobbyists who work on guns at home, those who 3d print firearms and firearm components for testing or just for fun, and those who would like to mill out their own lower receiver were devastated by this change, as it meant the things they were doing were now illegal. Members of Congress did not like this change because this was the ATF’s way of circumnavigating the proper legal process.
Representative Andy Briggs (R-Arizona) is spearheading this issue on the House Judiciary Committee. Briggs as well as other republicans on the committee have written a letter outlining their concerns with the proposed rule changes. “ATF’s rule appears to be a deliberate attempt to usurp the authority of Congress…” reads the letter. The letter would add that the rule “unconstitutionally infringed on American citizens’ fundamental Second Amendment rights,”
As for the new rule change from the ATF, the proposed rule change would mean that all manufacturers and firearm dealers would have to add a serial number to any unserialized firearm that they make or they pick up into their inventory. United States Attorney General Merrick Garland also stepped in to announce that the DOJ will be going after those who do not follow these rules once they are changed.
