US President Joe Biden has sought to address and take steps toward curbing the prevalent issue of gun violence in the country. This week, Biden and Justice Department officials announced a new measure that would target ghost guns.
During a White House event Monday, Biden and DOJ Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco announced the final rule by the Justice Department. The final rule was passed through the federal regulation process for nearly a year, and the new rule is likely going to draw criticism from gun advocates in the weeks to come.
Biden also announced his nomination of Steve Dettelbach to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Dettelbach previously served as a US attorney.
The latest announcement is part of the Biden administration and the Justice Department’s efforts to crack down on gun violence that has plagued the country for years. Back in 2021, around 20,000 suspected ghost guns were reported to the ATF by law enforcement in criminal investigations, a shocking increase from the rates in 2016, according to the statistics shared by the White House.
The nonprofit organization Gun Violence Archive reported that gun deaths increased in 2021 from 2020.
The DOJ rule puts a ban on unserialized “buy build shoot” kits that people can buy online or at a store without the need for a background check and can readily assemble into a working firearm. The rule also turns some existing ghost guns into serialized firearms.
Biden also had a virtual meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi this week, with the Ukraine conflict on the agenda between the two leaders. The White House said the US leader had a “constructive, direct conversation” with his Indian counterpart, as the US is seeking more assistance from India to help pressure Russia into stopping its war with Ukraine.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters during the briefing that Biden told Modi that his administration could help in diversifying oil imports in India and that it was not in New Delhi’s interests to increase energy imports from Russia. To note, the Biden administration has stressed that it does not want to see an increase in Russian energy imports by India.