The Biden administration will come out with its long-awaited ghost gun rule — aimed at reining in privately made firearms without serial numbers that are increasingly cropping up at crime scenes — as soon as Monday, three people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press.

As the White House and Justice Department are under greater pressure to reduce gun violence and deaths, the completion of this rule is a welcome development.

According to people, the White House is also considering naming Steve Dettelbach, an ex-U.S. Attorney from Ohio, as the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Biden was forced to withdraw the nomination for his first nominee, David Chipman, a gun control advocate, because the nomination had been stalled by Republicans and some Democrats in Congress for many months.

Fast a year has passed since the rule entered the federal regulatory process. Since months, Democrats and gun safety groups have been pressing for completion of the rule by the Justice Department. This rule will likely be met with strong resistance by gun groups, and could lead to litigation over the next few weeks.

People said that the exact time of the announcement is still unknown. The people spoke on condition of anonymity to AP because they were unable to discuss the subject publicly. The White House refused to comment.

Senator Chuck Schumer of New York was the top Democrat in the Senate and urged the Administration to accelerate their progress on Sunday.

“It’s high time for a ghost gun exorcism before the proliferation peaks, and before more people get hurt — or worse,” Schumer said in a statement. My message is simple: Stop waiting for these federal regulations to become law. Ghost guns “are too easy to create, too hard for trace, and too dangerous not to be ignored.”

Justice Department statistics indicate that between 2016-2020, nearly 24,000 ghost firearms were found at crime scenes by law enforcement officers and reported to authorities. The number of ghost guns circulating in the streets is difficult to determine. This may partly be because many times police don’t report the gunned down firearms to the government because it’s impossible for them not being traced.

This rule will change federal law’s definition of firearms to allow for unfinished parts such as the frame or receiver of long guns.

ATF’s proposed rule was released in May. The ATF stated it wanted manufacturers and dealers selling ghost gun parts to have federal licenses and federally licensed dealers must add a serial number for any unsealable guns they intend to sell.

This rule also requires firearms dealers conduct background checks before selling ghost gun kits that include parts necessary to build a firearm.

Federal officials have warned for years about the growing black market in homemade semi-automatic handguns and rifles that are military-style. Ghost guns are becoming more common at crime scene scenes. Federal agents often buy weapons from criminal gangs to cover their tracks.

California is one of the states that has passed legislation requiring serial numbers to be stamped in ghost guns.

Lower receivers are a key component to building an untraceable gun. These parts typically consist of either metal or plastic. An unfinished receiver — sometimes referred to as an “80-percent receiver” — can be legally bought online with no serial numbers or other markings on it, no license required.

There have been reports from police across the country of an increase in ghost guns being found by officers. According to the New York Police Department (NYPD), officers have found 131 illegal firearms in their possession since January.

He was banned from having firearms in 2017. However, he made his own gun to avoid the ban. In 2019, a teenage used a handgun he had made to shoot and kill two friends at school near Los Angeles.