Biden plans to crack down on 'ghost guns' with action on Thursday

US President Joe Biden

President Joe Biden on Thursday will 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. Other measures include investment in community violence prevention, the planned release of a model ‘red flag law’ that states can use to draft their own versions, and plans for a Justice Department report on arms trafficking. Red flag laws allow courts and local law enforcement to remove guns from people deemed a risk to communities.