How is the ATF helping with ghost guns?
Ghost guns are untraceable firearms, guns with no VIN. These are guns purposely built so that the firearms cannot be tracked. “Ghost Guns are unserialized (and therefore untraceable) firearms that are put together by components purchased either as a kit or as separate pieces. These firearms are fully functioning guns that are as lethal as a fully finished, serialized firearm,” bradyunited.org. Non-federally licensed manufacturers make ghost guns. “Ghost guns are the fastest-growing gun safety problem facing our country. ATF estimates that more than 70,700 suspected privately made firearms (i.e., ghost guns) were recovered by law enforcement between 2016 and 2022—nearly two-thirds of which were recovered in 2021 and 2022.1 They are becoming a weapon of choice for violent criminals, gun traffickers, and other legally prohibited persons, as well as right-wing extremists. The country has also seen incidents of gunfire on school grounds and unintentional shootings by children involving ghost guns,” Everytown.org. These guns make it so law enforcement can’t teach them, leaving out crucial evidence and information to solve crimes, which leads to harmful criminals getting away with crimes.
What is the ATF? “ATF is a law enforcement agency in the United States’ Department of Justice that protects our communities from violent criminals, criminal organizations, the illegal use and trafficking of firearms, the illegal use and storage of explosives, acts of arson and bombings, acts of terrorism, and the illegal diversion of alcohol and tobacco products. We partner with communities, industries, law enforcement, and public safety agencies to safeguard the public we serve through information sharing, training, research, and use of technology,” atf.gov. The ATF was established as a separate component within the Department of Justice under Title XI of the Homeland Security Act of 2002, Public Law 107-296, on January 17, 2003.
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms | Special Response Team (SRT)
The ATF is here to make sure things like ghost guns stay at a minimum or don’t happen at all. “The ATF’s rule requires ghost gun manufacturers of covered firearm parts kits, frames, and receivers to adhere to the same requirements as commercial gun makers, including obtaining federal firearm licenses, marking their products with serial numbers, conducting background checks, and keeping transfer records,” amma-assn.org. The ATF will attempt to ensure that it conducts background checks on all ghost guns. “The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) announced a final rulemaking that would end the proliferation of untraceable ghost guns by clarifying that their core building blocks are firearms under the law, ensuring they are traceable, and that licensed dealers conduct a background check before their sale. The rulemaking was first proposed in May 2021 as part of President Joe Biden’s slate of lifesaving executive actions to address the nation’s gun violence crisis, “Everytown Research.org.
The ATF is working to put a stop to these untraceable guns known as Ghost Guns. If the ATF can put a stop to this, law enforcement can piece together crimes that they couldn’t do before because they couldn’t trace the guns.
