The White House is to close a loophole that allows thousands of firearms to be sold at gun shows and on the internet without federal background checks.

It will classify around 23,000 vendors as licensed firearms dealers, making their gun sales subject to the checks.

Attorney General Merrick Garland said the regulation was a “historic step” that would “save lives”, as federal data shows that illegal or black-market firearms are increasingly being found at shooting scenes.

The closure of the “gun show loophole” will go into effect 30 days after it is published in the federal registry this week.

The National Rifle Association (NRA) however said it was preparing to fight the new regulations, and Republican senators have also objected.