‘Historic’ action by justice department closes ‘doggone dangerous’ loophole in Biden administration’s fight against gun violence
The sale of firearms on the internet and at gun shows in the US will in future be subject to mandatory background checks, the justice department said on Thursday as it announced a “historic” new action to keep weapons out of the hands of criminals.
The closing of the so-called gun show loophole, which exempts private transactions from restrictions that apply to licensed dealers, has long been a goal of the Biden administration, and is specifically targeted in the rule published in the federal register today.
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The White House estimates that 22% of guns owned by Americans were acquired without a background check and that about 23,000 more individuals will be required to be licensed as a dealer after the rule’s implementation.
To all the gun owners/advocates out there who used rational thinking to back this: Thank you.
I’ve bought firearms online for years. I don’t know how the loophole works and at this point I’m afraid to ask.
The article’s title is misleading. The regulation isn’t “closing” the “loophole” of buying a gun without a background check from somewhere like armslist where you meet up in person for the exchange.
The article title, and some politician comments want people to think that this a loophole to be worried about, and that it has been closed in a “historic” move.
The regulation is going after people selling in such a volume, in any manner, that the government deems that they should be FFLs.
In practical terms what that volume qualifies as is still vague, but the manner or location of sales isn’t something being touched.