BEAUMONT, Texas — Just last week the Biden administration announced a new rule which states that anyone who sells firearms must be federally licensed and must conduct background checks.
However, this crackdown on the "gun show loophole" has some worrying that the rule will also target responsible gun owners, and how it will impact those who conduct business the right way.
"Too often these black-market guns wind up in the hands of people who are not allowed to have them," said Attorney General, Merrick Garland.
Garland and the Biden administration say they are fighting back against gun violence.
"It will save lives," Garland said.
The "rule change" will force thousands of additional firearms dealers to run background checks on buyers at gun shows or other places.
As a lifelong gunowner, firearms instructor Stephen "Doc" Watson believes the administration has a misguided focus on the firearms themselves.
"The focus should be on violent criminals because millions and millions of Americans own firearms, and never commit a crime with them, and obey the law," Watson told 12News.
"The Real Texas Gun Show" has multiple shows in Port Arthur and Orange every year, and owner Aubrey Sanders Jr. fears the new restrictions will unintentionally harm the legal market.
"FFL (Federal Firearms License) dealers are doing the best they are instructed to do, but if you find one little irregularity in their books, they'll yank your whole license. Then you're left without a livelihood," said Sanders.
The new regulations will force anybody selling guns in any capacity, whether online or in person, to register as a dealer and require background checks for buyers.
It will also prevent people from falsely claiming the guns they sell are part of a "personal collection" to pass through the background check requirement.
"What constitutes a collection? That's not defined in the law. If you're selling a firearm to another individual, it can't be for profit? If I bought a firearm five years ago, and I want to sell it for less than I paid for it, is it still a federal crime to sell it to a friend of mine?" said Watson.
According to the Associated Press the rule will take effect 30 days after it is published in the Federal Register.
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