Background checks for gun buyers will soon be required in more situations in the United States, the White House announced Thursday, saying it would close legal loopholes.
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In a country that deplores so many killings, the administration of President Joe Biden is pushing for more regulation, and faced with regular blockages in Congress for major reforms, is resorting to using its regulatory power.
This time, the federal government is attacking a legal loophole that allows buyers to avoid having their criminal and psychological background checked during sales at arms fairs and on the internet in particular. Tens of thousands of weapons are sold each year, according to the White House.
“Every gunsmith must now conduct a background check, no matter where or how they sell their merchandise,” Vice President Kamala Harris, who is responsible for this issue, told reporters.
The United States is paying a very heavy price for the spread of firearms on its territory and the ease with which Americans have access to them.
The country has more individual weapons than inhabitants. The consequence of this proliferation is the very high rate of firearm deaths in the United States, incomparable to that of other developed countries.
With this new measure, “it does not matter if the weapon is sold on the internet, at an arms fair or in a physical gun store”, “if you sell weapons commercially, you must have a permit and you must conduct a background check,” Justice Minister Merrick Garland said in a statement.
Faced with probable recourse to the courts, the White House assures “that it is confident in the fact that (this reform) is legal”.
