(Newswire.net — January 25, 2021) —
Joe Biden has been sworn in as President of the United States, Coronavirus continues to wage an invisible war against millions, civil unrest still lingers in the shadows, and Americans are buying and building firearms in greater numbers than ever before. Even under the last administration and with a conservative majority filling the Senate and Supreme Court, Congress worked tirelessly to pass new gun laws. While many of the proposed measures failed to garner the votes required to pass, the environment in the House – specifically, the Democratic supermajority that now presides over the chambers – coupled with Joe Biden’s many gun control proposals laid out on the campaign trail, spell out that new gun laws are sure to take the hot seat in the coming weeks and months.
Americans have taken notice, as the FBI has continued to report Earth-shattering firearm sales since the pandemic began last March. Total sales in 2020 eclipsed years past by nearly 40%: Almost 40 million transactions were recorded brick-and-mortar among gun dealers and online FFLs – federal firearm licensees – which account for almost 12 million additional sales compared to 2019 alone. Importantly, the FBI’s records do not account for individual firearms. Their records only indicate the number of transactions conducted. Yet many gun owners have taken the opportunity now, more than ever, to purchase as many arms and ammo as they can, anticipating the now-present nationwide gun shortage. That means the number of firearms sold last year is likely even higher.
Yet with supply challenges now affecting virtually every major firearm manufacturer across the country – and with conventional retail outlets’ shelves all but emptied of most firearms – Americans are turning to new avenues to gun ownership: They’re not simply buying guns, anymore, they’re building them from scratch. Enter the appropriately-named 80% lower, a not-quite-a-firearm component that allows one to fabricate a bona fide firearm at home, from scratch. The practice is legal and has been since the ratification of the Gun Control Act of 1968. The Act, and now the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (BATFE) both clarify that if an adult citizen can otherwise legally own a firearm, he or she may build from individual parts without a license. The practice still bans the ownership of firearms that are illegal, like machineguns and explosive devices. To own restricted weapons like those, one must first apply for special licensing through the ATF. But for the average citizen who is not an FFL, that still leaves just about every long gun and handgun on the amateur gunsmith’s workbench.
These receiver blanks, as federal agencies officially call them, are not functional firearms. Instead, they’re partially fabricated firearm receivers (or frames, for those pursuing handgun ownership) that must be fabricated to completion by the end-user. This requires the employment of special equipment and bits called a jig, and other power tools. It’s become something of a hobby for enthusiast gun owners and machinists and now, it’s become a viable avenue for millions of Americans to become new gun owners. The trend appears to be sticking, too, as up to 40% of new firearm transactions reported last year comprised first-time buyers and historically anti-gun demographics.
This new industry comes on the heels of President Biden’s recent introduction of plans to repeal the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, which has historically shielded gun makers from lawsuits for how their weapons are used by the general public. “This egregious abuse of the legal system to destroy an industry providing constitutionally protected goods and services sparked a bipartisan response from coast to coast. Thirty-four states passed laws to block these suits in their own courts. Finally, in 2005, Congress followed these examples by enacting the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA) to provide a floor of protection nationwide,” says the National Rifle Association, responding to biden’s pledge to repeal the PLCAA in his first hundred days in office.
With the proverbial jaws of Congress gnawing at aspects of the Second Amendment, 2021 will certainly present gun control as a hot-button topic, one that potentially reshapes the firearm industry as the country works to combat Coronavirus and return to business as usual. One thing’s for sure: Millions of Americans are buying and building guns, with more demographics embracing firearm ownership than ever before. It remains to be seen how this changing narrative on the Second Amendment will play out in Congress.