WASHINGTON, D.C. –-(Ammoland.com)- According to a New York Times report, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives’ (ATF) new rule on unfinished firearms frames & receivers will be out in early April 2022.
The Biden administration is looking for a victory, and so-called “ghost guns” seem to be where the President thinks he can get a win.
The administration has faced all-time record-low approval ratings from the American public in the wake of several high-profile blunders. The disastrous pull out of troops in Afghanistan started Biden’s slide in popularity.
COVID-19 restrictions also saw the President taking a loss when the courts ruled his vaccine requirements for American companies unconstitutional. His policies on COVID payouts caused a labor shortage in the US, which led to empty shelves in many stores. Many small businesses shut down because they could not outbid the federal government, which paid people to sit home and do nothing.
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Gas prices are over $4 a gallon and headed to an unheard of $5.00. Inflation has been out of control and rising to levels not seen since Jimmy Carter’s presidency. The President has refused to approve drilling permits to make the country energy independent, bending a knee to OPEC to help the energy crisis and now banning Russian gas imports. He is worried that he will upset the same far left-wing advocates that want to ban unfinished frames and receivers by approving new drilling permits.
Last April, President Biden announced that he was ordering the ATF to act against unfinished frames and receivers in addition to pistol stabilizing devices. The ATF wrote up new regulations and submitted them to the National Registry for a public comment period. Over 300,000 Americans submitted comments on the topic. Most of the comments opposed the rule change.
If the rule goes through as expected, all 80% firearms frames & receivers sold would require a serial number and be considered a firearm in the eyes of the ATF.
The ATF calls these firearms privately manufactured firearms (PFM). The ones currently in the hands of the public would not require a serial number unless the firearm is transferred by a federal firearms licensee (FFL) or brought into a gunsmith for work.
Homemade suppressors will take a hit under the proposed rules. The tube itself will become the suppressor. The ATF has recently cracked down on Form 1 silencers. The government, law enforcement agency paused 3000 eForm submissions. Out of those 3000 submissions, 850 were denied by the ATF. The agency said the builder used parts that are already silencers. These included parts that the Bureau has always said were not regulated by the NFA.
The law enforcement agency also requested that the makers submit pictures of all parts used in the build, list how they plan on building the suppressor, and list where they acquired the parts. This request for information is a break from previous policies, which only required caliber and length.
The ATF was expected to give dealers and manufacturers 90 days to comply with the new regulations. Inside sources report that the time frame has shrunk to 60 days. The ATF and the Whitehouse didn’t respond to AmmoLand New’s request for comment.
About John Crump
John is an NRA instructor and a constitutional activist. John has written about firearms, interviewed people of all walks of life, and on the Constitution. John lives in Northern Virginia with his wife and sons and can be followed on Twitter at @crumpyss, or at www.crumpy.com.
