Feds gotta be ghost gun busters: pol
An incoming policy change by the Biden administration ought to help stymie the growing problem of “ghost guns” in New York City, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Sunday.
Schumer (D-N.Y.) pointed to a Sunday cover story by the Daily News to push the feds to implement a crackdown. The story revealed how the barely legal firearms are sold in pieces, with no serial number. The ghost guns do not require a background check.
The NYPD has recovered 135 ghost guns so far this year, up from just 17 in 2018 and on pace to exceed the 145 recovered in 2020.
“Just four days ago a man opened fire with a ghost gun on a crowd in Inwood, and four people were injured,” Schumer said during a news conference. “No background check is necessary. That means felons, spousal abusers, those who have been adjudicated as mentally ill can get a ghost gun.”
Officials at the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms plan to implement a new rule that would require background checks for ghost guns — and mandate that partially completed gun frames and receivers be manufactured with serial numbers and only be sold by licensed dealers.
“Because of the proliferation of ghost guns throughout New York we need the admin to issue this rule as soon as possible,” Schumer said. “When it comes to the ghost guns, we want the ATF to deliver an exorcism.”
ATF spokeswoman April Langwell said the bureau must follow a rigorous public review process before changing the rule — and offered no time line as to when the policy would shift.
“While drafting the final rule, the agency will base its reasoning and conclusions on the rulemaking record, consisting of the comments, expert opinions and facts accumulated during the rulemaking process,” said Langwell. “Congress and the Government Accountability Office will have an opportunity to review the final rule prior to its effective date.”