U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-NY13) have reintroduced legislation to ban ghost guns.
This comes as the Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled to allow the federal government to regulate ghost gun parts. A Biden administration policy that requires all firearm parts to have a serial number is under review by the Supreme Court, but the regulations will remain in effect during the legal proceedings.
“The temporary reinstatement of this rule means that the challenges will continue,” Blumenthal said. “And uncertainty will persist. And that’s why we need legislation to make absolutely clear that the federal law bans ghost guns by requiring serial numbers on all the frames and parts.”
Biden’s rule changed the definition of a firearm to include unfinished parts in an effort to regulate their sale. Currently, ghost guns can be purchased in pieces on the internet. The parts do not have serial numbers, so they can not be traced, and can be purchased without a permit.
Ghost guns were involved in at least three fatal shootings in Hartford over the weekend.
The Ghost Guns and Untraceable Firearms Act, reintroduced by Blumenthal and Espaillat, would regulate the homemade weapons with the same laws used for full guns.
“Ghost guns are a major threat to public safety and law enforcement’s ability to protect our communities,” Blumenthal said. “Without serial numbers and readily available for anyone to assemble, these untraceable weapons are a convenient tool for those that hope to cause harm."
"Our measure closes the gaping loopholes that allow domestic abusers, criminals and terrorists to bypass background checks," he added. "A homemade gun is still a gun. Subjecting these weapons to the same safety measures and requirements will save lives.”
The legislation has been co-sponsored by 26 lawmakers, including Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-CT) and Chris Murphy (D-CT).
