Most gun owners will be unable to sell privately held firearms to friends or relatives if a new federal rule proposed by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms is implemented.
According to an agency leak confirmed by AmmoLand on Monday, the government intends to impose a new rule that would prohibit gun owners from profitably selling firearms without a Federal Firearms License.
The Biden administration hopes to implement the regulation in 2024, without the need for new legislation from Congress.
The federal government intends to utilize the existing Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which was passed into law last year as gun control legislation, to justify cracking down on private weapons transactions.
Despite the complaints of Second Amendment supporters, several Republicans supported the measure.
According to The New York Times, formerly, only those who made their “main living” from the trade in firearms were required to have an FFL.
Individuals dealing guns “to predominantly earn a profit” are described as “gun sellers” under the BSCA, a development that the federal government wants to use to limit most firearms sales to FFL licenses.
Yet another example of Fudds giving the Disarmament Regime all that it wanted in last year's BSCA.
And naturally, the ATF is looking to take full advantage.
We see you…👀…🖨️ pic.twitter.com/IMLsS8HEbA
— Firearms Policy Coalition (@gunpolicy) August 11, 2023
The bill would have a significant impact on online marketplaces where gun owners exchange firearms, banning them from selling the guns for more than they paid for them.
Ordinary gun owners, many of whom are ignorant of the change in the law, could face criminal charges if they sell guns without the required licensing when the rule goes into effect.
Under the proposal, gun sales would be concentrated among a small number of FFL licensees, potentially raising prices for buyers.
According to the Times, the Department of Justice and ATF officials are working jointly to create the rule.
Federal officials plan to formally implement it in the second half of 2024.
As a candidate, President Joe Biden opposed internet gun sales, promising to outlaw them totally — though through legislation rather than an executive order directing a government agency to reinterpret an existing statute.
BIDEN: "You go to a gun show, you can buy whatever you want–no background check." pic.twitter.com/TbvfDPEwlp
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) April 8, 2021
An administrative attempt to regulate private gun transactions is likely to face judicial hurdles.
According to Just the News, a federal appeals court rejected the ATF’s attempt to regulate pistol braces earlier this month.