In a significant move aimed at tightening gun regulations, the Biden administration announced on Thursday that it plans to issue a rule closing the notorious “gun show loophole” and expanding background checks for firearms purchases. This legislative proposal would obligate firearms dealers outside traditional gun stores to obtain licenses for their sales and perform background checks on customers, making for what administration officials are touting as the most significant gun control step in decades.
The “gun show loophole,” a term used to describe the exemption that allows some private sellers to avoid conducting background checks on buyers at gun shows and online, has long been a contentious issue in the gun control debate. The administration’s move seeks to close this gap in the system, aiming to prevent individuals from obtaining firearms without undergoing the necessary background checks.
“This is going to keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers and felons,” President Biden said in a statement. “And my administration is going to continue to do everything we possibly can to save lives. Congress needs to finish the job and pass universal background checks legislation now.”
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When the rule takes effect, the Department of Justice predicts that some 20,000 dealers will begin conducting background checks on top of the 80,000 who already do so. The regulations specifically target online sellers and gun show vendors, both of whom can make sales without conducting checks on their customers.
“It closes the fire sale loophole as well by clarifying how firearms dealers who go out of business or lose their license must go about liquidating their inventory,” Attorney General Merrick Garland told reporters upon announcing the new rule. “Under this regulation, it will not matter if guns are sold on the internet, at a gun show or in a brick and mortar store, if you sell guns [you] must conduct background checks.”
The proposed rule has garnered support from gun control advocates who argue that it will help prevent firearms from falling into the wrong hands. However, it has also faced criticism from some gun rights advocates who view it as an infringement on the Second Amendment. Federal officials deny these claims and further insist that law-abiding gun sellers and owners will not be affected. The rules will also not apply to sales from hobbyists or private collectors.
“This final rule does not infringe on anyone’s Second Amendment rights, and it will not negatively impact the many law-abiding licensed firearms dealers in our nation,” Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms Director Steve Dettelbach said in a statement. “They are already playing by the rules.”
As of Thursday, no legal challenges have been filed against the rule, which will take effect 30 days after it is entered into the federal register.
Connor Walcott is a staff writer for Valuetainment.com. Follow Connor on X and look for him on VT’s “The Unusual Suspects.”
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