Maryland to ban ‘ghost guns’
Law targets hard-to-trace weapons assembled from kits
A ban on so-called ghost guns in Maryland will go into effect after Gov. Larry Hogan has announced that he would not veto the measure.
Regulating “ghost guns” — difficult-to-trace weapons lacking serial numbers or sold in pieces to evade the state’s background check rules — has been a top priority of gun control advocates for several years. But it was opposed by many gun-rights groups.
Some top law enforcement officials have also pressed for tighter rules, with Baltimore Police Commissioner Michael Harrison and others telling lawmakers that such weapons are showing up more often at crime scenes. Supporters of the legislation primarily complained about the growing purchase of firearms assembled at home from kits purchased off the internet.
Hogan’s decision was announced Friday, with the new law taking effect on March 1, 2023.
Because the weapons are bought in pieces, buyers can effectively evade current background check requirements. And the weapons can also be particularly difficult for law enforcement to trace, both because there is no paper trail of background checks and sales documents, and because the parts typically lack serial numbers.
Some Republican lawmakers and gun rights groups, however, argued that the new restrictions could ensnare well intentioned gun owners. A few critics on the left raised concerns that the police could selectively enforce the new law — like other existing firearms restrictions — against disproportionately lower-income communities of color.
The “ghost gun” legislation would change the legal definition of a firearm to include unassembled frames or receivers, two keys parts needed to assemble a working gun. The change would require anyone buying those parts to submit to the same background check and other requirements as anyone buying a fully assembled working weapon.
Buying, selling or transferring an unfinished frame or receiver without a serial number would become a misdemeanor punishable by up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
The legislation would also crack down on other firearms that lack serial numbers. Knowingly possessing a firearm without a serial number would become a misdemeanor punishable by up to two years in prison and a $10,000 fine. The bill exempts antique firearms and any weapons made before Oct. 22, 1968 from the requirements.
Anyone who owns a weapon outlawed by the legislation will be able to register the gun with the Maryland State Police and have it imprinted with a traceable serial number — as long as they meet the existing criteria for owning a firearm.