“Approximately 22 per cent of people obtain firearms without a background check,” said Mr Devin Hughes, founder and president of GVPedia, a nonprofit focused on gun violence prevention research.
“Enforcement is going to be relatively challenging. It really depends on how much individual states help out with it because local states are going to have more resources than the ATF,” he added, referring to the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
The Bureau, which oversees gun sales in America, has a notoriously small budget – just a third the size of major city police departments.
NEW RULE BLOCKED IN TEXAS
Gun-friendly states have already indicated they will not be helping to enforce the new regulation.
A federal judge on Sunday temporarily blocked the new rule from being implemented in Republican-led Texas, or against members of several gun rights groups.
This came after 26 Republican attorneys general – including Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton – and gun rights advocates filed a lawsuit to block the rule change from taking effect. They argue the ATF is violating the constitutional right to keep and bear arms.
Despite Texas’ success in blocking the regulation, legal experts said it could be a hard sell to courts in other states since the rule change is part of a law passed by Congress.
With the presidential poll coming up, Mr Johnson said this is shaping up to be a good year for his family business.
Firearms sales typically soar ahead of elections in the US, driven by fears a leadership change could cause social instability or more gun regulations.
However, an overwhelming majority of Americans also support universal background checks for all firearms sales and transfers.
In an election year when gun violence is at the top of many voters’ minds, the issue could partly determine who sits in the White House next year.
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