Key Takeaways:

– Crime and murder rates decrease as per Biden-Harris regulation targeting the black market of guns.
– Private sales of guns, now more strongly regulated, can require a federal firearms license and a mandatory background check.
– Trump’s potential return could undo the progress made by the Biden-Harris administration towards stricter gun control.
– Violent crime hits near a 50 year low and mass shootings have decreased by 20%.

Combatting Gun Violence

In the last two years, crime and murder rates have seen a marked decrease in the United States. This promising trend may be driven even further along through a new regulation by the Biden-Harris administration, squarely aimed at undermining the black market trafficking of firearms. However, if Trump returns to the presidency, the crucial strides toward gun control made by Biden-Harris are likely to see an undoing.

American Firearm Purchases

Here in the United States, there are two pathways when it comes to purchasing firearms. The first involves a traditional brick-and-mortar gun store. These stores operate with a federal license and are subject to stringent regulations. Every year, approximately 20 million guns are sold this way and each prospective buyer is required to undergo a background check before the sale can be completed. About 200,000 people typically fail this check, most commonly due to previously committed felony offenses.

The Private Gun Market

The second pathway, less regulated and more controversial, is the private sale of firearms. Here, individuals seeking to sell or transfer their personal guns to another party can do so without any heavy regulations. This is granted the seller does not fall under the classification of being “engaged in the business” of selling firearms.

This was initially designed to allow simpler, paperwork-free transactions such as a grandfather bequeathing a hunting rifle to a grandchild or the sale of a used handgun to a friend or neighbor. However, what started as a minor loophole eventually developed into a major exploitation point. Today, four out of every ten guns used by criminals are procured without background checks, thanks to this loophole.

The phenomenon of the gun show and internet loopholes sprung from this scenario. Private buyers and sellers now congregate at gun shows or on internet websites to conduct transactions with strangers. In these transactions, no background checks or additional requirements are necessary.

Exploitation of the Loophole

Predictably, this gaping loophole has not escaped the attention of criminals and gun traffickers. As an example, there are one million gun ads online each year potentially dodging background checks. Shockingly, 96 percent of inmates convicted of gun offenses, who were legally prohibited from obtaining firearms at the time of their crime, revealed they acquired their weapons from unlicensed sellers.

New Regulations

However, there has been a major change with the glitch that permitted such immense misuse. The ambiguous phrase “engaged in the business,” which instantiated the private gun sale loophole, has now been substituted with “make a profit.” This change occurred in the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, passed in 2022. The amended language prompted the Biden-Harris administration to require any individual aiming to profit from their personal gun sales to secure a federal firearms license and perform a background check on each buyer. This development applies regardless of whether the transaction occurs at a store, gun show, or online.

The Future of Gun Control

While this has undeniably made America safer, the battle is far from over. Executive orders, seemingly secure, can be easily overturned by a subsequent president. There is a legitimate risk of Trump reversing the new law and associated regulations if he is re-elected. Despite a majority of Americans strongly favoring background checks for all firearm sales, this may not hold relevance in the face of Trump’s allegiance with gun rights extremists.

While the closure of the gun show and internet loopholes marks substantial progress, it won’t end gun violence in its entirety. The Biden-Harris administration is well aware of this and has drawn on other methods to combat gun violence, such as clamping down on homemade guns, thwarting illegal gun trafficking, improving active shooter drills, and providing more funding for law enforcement. As result of these efforts, violent crime is at almost a 50 year low, mass shootings have dropped by 20%, and the homicide rate plunged by an impressive 11.6% in 2023.

The matter to remember is, the right to bear arms must never overstep the necessity for security and safety. Whoever sits in the presidential office carries the responsibility of maintaining this delicate balance. It remains to be seen if potential future leaders will uphold this crucial principle.