“This is not about hobbyists.”
Last week, President Joe Biden nominated Steve Dettelbach to head the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, or ATF. At the same time, Biden announced new rules regulating so-called ghost guns—firearms that are often put together by unlicensed individuals, using parts from ready-to-assemble kits or 3D printers. These made-at-home guns are virtually untraceable.
Seth Stevenson: How easy is it for someone to put together a ghost gun if they get the parts? Do you need a lot of expertise to put it together?Twenty years ago, the only people who could build guns in this way were people who had expensive machining tools, knew how to deal with metals. Now, a 3D printer can be used to print this frame or receiver, and then you would go online and buy kits that have all the other parts you need.