Schumer urges DOJ to take action on ghost guns
WASHINGTON » Saying Americans are clamoring for action on the issue of gun violence, U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer said, recently, that under current law, the Department of Justice (DOJ) in concert with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) can do something — right now — to tackle the rising threat of untraceable and undetectable firearms known as ‘Ghost Guns.’
“Amid the pain of another senseless shooting in this country, Americans are clamoring for the feds to do something, and so I’m calling for DOJ and ATF to use their existing authorities to act,” Schumer stated.
“The lights are flashing red on the issue of ghost guns and the rising threat posed by these totally unregulated, availableto-anyone, no-backgroundcheck-required weapons. That is why we are demanding the feds take action now, before these easy-to-use assembly kits result in another foreseeable and preventable tragedy,” Schumer noted.
Schumer explained that ‘ghost guns’ are sold in pieces or kits and come without background checks, serial numbers, or anything else that the current law demands of legally purchased firearms— despite the fact that only a few simple steps are required to turn these unfinished pieces into fully functional weapons.
Schumer said New York has already seen ghost guns used in crimes, and that Attorney General Tish James has taken strong action to prevent their flow here, but that using existing authority to close the federal loophole allowing these weapons to proliferate across the country is a commonsense action that the feds can and must take to make New Yorkers safer, right now.
In September 2019, Attorney General Tish James sent cease and desist letters to companies behind a number of websites selling incomplete weaponry pieces—ghost gun kits—to New Yorkers that could be easily assembled into illegal assault weapons.
In July 2020, James announced that all the companies behind the sale of these firearms or firearms components had complied with her cease and desist letters and ended the sale of these weapons to New Yorkers.
But Schumer said this hard work is for naught unless the feds stop the unfettered flow of these kits across the country.
“In some states, it is harder to buy cold medicine than it is a ghost gun assembly kit,” Schumer remarked.
“The feds know it, the people who are building these kits know it, and the public should not have to be threatened by it,” Schumer explained.
“Ghost guns pose a grave threat to communities across this country,” James stated.
“We know that these untraceable and undetectable weapons can cause the same immense destruction and harm as traditional firearms, yet they are not subject to the same regulations. My office has successfully shut down companies that provide access to these weapons and taken action to regulate them, but far more is needed to protect our families and our children. I thank Senator Schumer for taking the stand that is desperately needed to protect New Yorkers and all Americans,” James added.
Last summer, Nassau County law enforcement officials recovered 22 ghost guns, along with thousands of rounds of ammunition and narcotics and bomb-making equipment, in a crime bust on Long Island.