Biden plans to crack down on ‘ghost guns’

President Joe Biden was yesterday scheduled to unveil his administration's first steps to curb gun violence, including a plan to reduce the proliferation of "ghost guns," after a slew of mass shootings have put pressure on him to act. 

Biden will announce that the Justice Department intends to issue a proposed rule within 30 days to help reduce the increasing prevalence of untraceable, self-assembled "ghost guns," a White House official told reporters. The details of the rule were not immediately clear.

The department also will issue proposed rules within 60 days that make clear that devices marketed as "stabilizing braces" that effectively turn pistols into rifles will be subject to the National Firearms Act, which requires the registration of firearms, the official said.

The list of initiatives to be unveiled on Thursday leave out a number of Biden's campaign promises, many of which require congressional action, including opening gun makers up to lawsuits over murders committed using their weapons, banning assault weapons altogether, and requiring background checks for most gun sales.

Gun control is a divisive issue in the US, which has experienced a significant number of deadly mass shootings for decades. The US Constitution's Second Amendment protects the right to bear arms.