President Biden issues new rules regulating ‘ghost guns,’ nominates new ATF director

On Monday, President Joe Biden announced new regulations for firearms which would require serial numbers as well as background checks for so-called “ghost guns.”

Biden also introduced his second nominee to lead the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives, former U.S. attorney from Ohio, Steve Dettelbach. David Chipman, the president’s previous nominee, was forced to withdraw from the selection process.

On Sunday, officials noted that the Justice Department plans to make a final rule on “ghost guns,” which are untraceable weapons made from parts kids. The rule would classify the components used to create them as firearms, meaning they would be required to have serial numbers to help in tracking them.

The announcements come as violent crime has reached or is surpassing record levels in several cities across the country, and ghost guns are being used more and more in crimes.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat of New York, called for a crackdown on untraceable firearms on Sunday, blaming Republicans for stunting the passage of gun legislation.

“I am calling on the administration to go all after ghost guns, by putting out regulations that will stop them,” Schumer commented while at a press conference. “The federal government has the ability through regulation to stop these ghost guns.”