Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and a survivor of the 2019 Saugus High School shooting were among those attending a White House event Monday at which President Joe Biden announced regulations to rein in “ghost guns”.
Ghost guns, which do not have serial numbers, can be assembled by unlicensed buyers from legally purchased kits. The firearms’ parts – which can be ordered online – were not required under federal law to have serial numbers or a background check to purchase.
In a statement Monday afternoon Mayor Garcetti said, “Today, I had the honor of joining President Biden as he announced a series of new regulations that will make our schools, theaters, and public spaces safer for everyone”.
Biden announced Monday that the U.S. Department of Justice made it illegal for a business to manufacture a ghost gun kit without a serial number. The new rule classifies ghost gun kits as “firearms” under the Gun Control Act. It also makes it illegal for a licensed gun dealer to sell kits without conducting a background check. The new regulation also requires dealers who come into possession of a ghost gun to add a serial number to the firearm before reselling it.
The president said he asked the attorney general to write the regulation after Congress failed to pass legislation to reform firearm laws. Biden’s announcement, however, was met with distain by some Republican lawmakers.
I’m Jennifer Perez Lara for KVCR News.