Page 2 - aruba-today-20220412

A2 UP FRONT
Tuesday 12 april 2022
Continued from Front ghost guns.
He promised the new regu- Pennsylvania Attorney
lations would save lives. General Josh Shapiro, who
Still, the announcement on was attending Monday’s
guns highlights the limits of event at the White House,
Biden’s influence to push applauded the move and
a sweeping congressional pointed to a serious uptick
overhaul of the nation’s in ghost guns being found
firearm laws in response to by police. Police in Phila-
both a recent surge in vio- delphia have seen nearly a
lent crime and continued 500% increase in the num-
mass shootings. Congress ber of ghost guns recov-
has deadlocked on legis- ered in the past two years,
lative proposals to reform Shapiro said. And just last
gun laws for a decade, week, a police officer there
and executive actions was shot by a ghost gun-
have faced stiff headwinds wielding 18-year-old, who
in federal courts — even as police said had also shot
the Democratic base has three others.
grown more vocal in call- “This loophole has caused
ing on Biden to take more our nation countless lives,”
consequential action. Shapiro said in an interview.
Dettelbach’s confirmation, “Today is a critically impor-
too, is likely to be an uphill tant step to close that loop-
battle. Biden had to with- hole.”
draw the nomination of He said the move is likely
his first ATF nominee, gun- to help drive down vio-
control advocate David lence and aid both police
Chipman, after it stalled and prosecutors in bringing
for months because of op- their cases. The rule is also
position from Republicans likely to help bring down
and some Democrats in the number of people who
the Senate. Both Republi- shouldn’t be purchasing
can and Democratic ad- This Nov. 27, 2019, file photo shows "ghost guns" on display at the headquarters of the San Fran- firearms before a gun lands
ministrations have failed to cisco Police Department in San Francisco. in their hand, he said.
get nominees for the ATF Associated Press “There are two challenges:
position through the politi- One, criminals can eas-
cally fraught process since Johnston, the group’s di- crime scenes and reported dealers were permitted to ily buy them without go-
the director’s position was rector of federal affairs said to the government from destroy most records after ing through a background
made confirmable in 2006. in a statement. The group 2016 to 2020. It is hard to 20 years, making it harder check. And two, they are
Since then, only one nomi- believes the rule violates say how many are circulat- for law enforcement to unserialized and untrace-
nee, former U.S. Attorney the U.S. Constitution and ing on the streets, in part trace firearms found at able.”
B. Todd Jones, has been several federal laws. because in many cases crime scenes. The critical component in
confirmed. Jones made it But gun safety advocacy police departments don’t “A year ago this week building an untraceable
through the Senate in 2013 groups, like Everytown for contact the government standing here with many gun is what is known as
but only after a six-month Gun Safety, which pushed about the guns because of you, I instructed the at- the lower receiver, a part
struggle. Jones was acting the federal government they can’t be traced. torney general to write a typically made of metal
director when President for years to take action The new rule changes the regulation that would rein or polymer. An unfinished
Barack Obama nominated on ghost guns, applauded current definition of a fire- in the proliferation of ghost receiver — sometimes re-
him in January 2013. Biden’s moves and insisted arm under federal law to in- guns because I was having ferred to as an “80-percent
The Biden administration’s that both Dettelbach’s ap- clude unfinished parts, like trouble getting anything receiver” — can be legally
plan on guns was first re- pointment and the final- the frame of a handgun or passed in the Congress,” bought online with no serial
ported by Politico. ized rule will help combat the receiver of a long gun. Biden said. numbers or other markings
For nearly a year, the ghost gun violence. It says those parts must be The rule goes into effect on it, no license required.
gun rule has been making “Ghost guns look like a licensed and include serial 120 days from the date of Police across the country
its way through the fed- gun, they shoot like a gun, numbers. Manufacturers publication in the Federal have been reporting spikes
eral regulation process. and they kill like a gun, but must also run background Register in ghost guns being recov-
Gun safety groups and up until now they haven’t checks before a sale — as For years, federal officials ered by officers. The New
Democrats in Congress been regulated like a gun,” they do with other com- have been sounding the York Police Department,
have been pushing for the said John Feinblatt, Every- mercially made firearms. alarm about an increasing for example, said officers
Justice Department to fin- town’s president. The requirement applies black market for home- found 131 firearms with-
ish the rule for months. It Christian Heyne, the vice regardless of how the fire- made, military-style semi- out serial numbers since
will probably be met with president of policy at arm was made, meaning it automatic rifles and hand- January. A gunman who
heavy resistance from gun Brady, another gun con- includes ghost guns made guns. As well as turning up killed his wife and four oth-
groups and draw litigation trol group, said Dettelbach from individual parts, kits, or more frequently at crime ers in Northern California in
in the coming weeks. was “an unimpeachable by 3D-printers. scenes, ghost guns have 2017 had been prohibited
Gun Owners of America public servant who has Federally licensed firearms been increasingly encoun- from owning firearms, but
vowed that it would imme- spent a career using the le- dealers must retain key re- tered when federal agents he built his own to skirt the
diately fight the rule. vers of government to hold cords until they shut down buy guns in undercover op- court order before his ram-
“Just as we opposed the negligent or nefarious ac- their business or licensed erations from gang mem- page. And in 2019, a teen-
Trump Administration’s arbi- tors accountable.” activity and then transfer bers and other criminals. ager used a homemade
trary ban on bump stocks, Justice Department statis- the records to ATF as they Some states, like California, handgun to fatally shoot
GOA will also sue Biden’s tics show that nearly 24,000 are currently required to have enacted laws in re- two classmates and wound
ATF to halt the implemen- ghost guns were recovered do at the end of licensed cent years to require serial three others at a school in
tation of this rule,” Aidan by law enforcement at activity. Previously, these numbers to be stamped on suburban Los Angeles.q