The Biden administration has just revealed a new strategy aimed at reinforcing control over firearms transactions online and at gun shows. 

The strategy targets the notorious “gun show loophole,” which gives criminals easier access to firearms, showcasing the administration’s attempts to ensure community safety.

The recently introduced regulations have added more context to what qualifies someone as a licensed firearms dealer. 

This change is designed to encourage background checks across additional sales points, further securing the marketplace from unregulated sales.

According to estimates by the Justice Department, about 23,000 unlicensed firearms dealers will need to adapt by implementing background checks for sales. 

There is an acknowledged difficulty in precisely quantifying the unlicensed gun market, but with such measures in place, the nation will have taken a significant step toward tighter regulation.

The expanded background check mandate, which originates from the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act of 2022, will become effective 30 days after its publishing. 

The regulation’s intention is to clarify and expand the criteria for being classified as a firearms dealer, which will make a wider array of sellers responsible under the law.

In the U.S., about 80,000 licensed firearms dealers are already obliged to perform background checks on purchasers. 

The initiative addresses the loophole that lets certain sellers, especially those online or at gun shows, evade such obligations, thereby leveling the playing field.

Under the latest regulations, individuals who want to profit from firearm sales must obtain a dealer license and conduct background checks on purchasers. 

Actions indicative of dealer operations, including engaging in online advertising, maintaining sales records, and handling credit card transactions, now require formal licensing.

Although the President has advocated for all-encompassing background checks for gun sales and transfers, the recent announcement does not institute universal checks. 

Instead, it broadens the firearm dealer classification to cover a greater number of sellers, thereby extending the reach of mandatory background checks.

Officials have detailed specific scenarios exempt from the updated rule. These include familial transfers and the dispersal of personal firearm collections without intent to replenish.

These exceptions will ensure that certain types of gun transfers remain outside the scope of the new background check stipulations.

Vice President Kamala Harris brought attention to the significant timing of the announcement, which coincides with the upcoming anniversary of the Columbine High School tragedy. 

Harris emphasized the critical nature of taking care of the loophole that aided the acquisition of weapons used in the massacre.

Vice President Harris passionately defended the government’s policy in response to anticipated backlash.

She said, “We know how to prevent these tragedies, and it’s a false choice to suggest you are either in favor of the Second Amendment or you want to take everyone’s guns away. I’m in favor of the Second Amendment, and I am in favor of reasonable gun safety laws.”

As expected, the strategy has been criticized by people like Senator John Cornyn, who tagged it “unconstitutional.” 

Cornyn, along with Senator Thom Tillis, plans to counteract the regulation, accusing it of legislative overreach and leading to further debate within the gun control politics arena.

Attorney General Merrick Garland has called the regulation a “historic step” that has the potential to “save lives.”

He also highlighted the increasing presence of illegally acquired firearms at crime scenes and asserted the rule’s critical role in regulating unlicensed sales, leading to a more secure environment nationwide.