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US government wants to make it more difficult to buy firearms

Gun sales in the USA

(Bild: Associated Press)

The US government wants to make it more difficult to buy firearms at trade fairs and on the internet. In future, all potential customers would have to be checked, said Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday. So far, this has only been the case in stores.

According to Harris, tens of thousands of firearms are sold every year without being checked. That means the guns are being sold without licenses and without background checks on the buyers. "If you sell guns primarily to make a profit, you have to get a license and do background checks," said Attorney General Merrick Garland about the new rule.

The new law closes the "gun show loophole" that has allowed violent criminals to obtain guns, the vice president said. However, it is not a major reform to restrict private gun ownership. Stronger measures have failed in the USA for decades due to resistance from the powerful gun lobby and the Republicans allied with it.

Will it be challenged in court?
"All of the President's (Joe Biden's) major initiatives to reduce gun violence have been challenged," according to the White House. Therefore, the new initiative could also be an attempt. 

Gun violence is an everyday problem in the USA. There are more firearms in the country than inhabitants. Last year, more than 40,000 people lost their lives as a result.