The new rule was a product of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) has just implemented a change in the federal register language, which was previously more specific to who was selling guns, and the agency did it in accordance with the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which was passed in 2022.
The administration rolled out the proposed rule in September 2023, taking in over 300,000 comments from the public.
The rule now explicitly lists the types of commercial activities that indicate whether a person should become a federally licensed dealer and thus be required to run a background check; prevents people from evading the licensing and background check requirements by claiming that they are just selling a few guns, according to the White House; and prevents people from falsely claiming that guns are part of a personal collection and exempt a seller from running a background check on a buyer.
By being more specific and precise in the definition, Administration officials on a call with reporters said it would require more people to register for a federal selling license and run a background check on the person they are selling to.