Fighting ghosts
Federal action on ghost guns and more
President Biden signed an executive order this week establishing a new federal task force that will assess, among other things, the growing threats posed by 3D-printed firearms. These weapons, part of a category of firearms known as “ghost guns,” have no serial numbers, making them nearly impossible to trace. But that’s not the only problem with ghost guns.
Generated by 3D printers or assembled from kits or parts purchased online, ghost guns can be easily obtained and used by individuals who might otherwise be prohibited from owning firearms. Unlike traditional guns, which require background checks, registration, and, in some states, permits to carry, ghost guns evade all such barriers, meaning minors, people with documented mental health issues, and convicted violent criminals can acquire them, increasing the likelihood of them being used illegally.
For law enforcement, the absence of serial numbers on ghost guns complicates efforts to solve crimes in which they are used, a scenario that has increased exponentially since 2017. With no way to trace their history and ownership, it’s impossible to link them to crimes, hindering criminal investigations and allowing illegal activities involving these firearms to go undetected for longer periods of time. Building guns at home has long been a hobby for firearm enthusiasts, but this is clearly something quite different.
In Oregon, where the number of ghost guns recovered at crime scenes increased by more than 1,000% in four years, the Legislature took action. Oregon House Bill 2005, which went into effect earlier this month, prohibits the sale, manufacture, and possession of any gun, unfinished gun frame, or receiver that lacks a serial number or is made with a material other than metal that can’t be picked up by a metal detector. Hobbyists can still build firearms at home; they’re just required to take any unmarked parts to a licensed gun dealer to be serialized if they intend to carry them.
We applaud the Oregon Legislature, President Biden, and others for taking steps to mitigate the threat of ghost guns. Through careful regulation and enforcement efforts, we can close the loopholes that allow ghost guns to proliferate on the streets and threaten public safety, and ensure homemade guns remain where they belong: in the realm of hobby.
On the Hill
President Biden’s executive order also calls for a task force to assess federal capacity to detect and seize machine-gun conversion devices. Also known as MCDs, “Glock switches,” or “chips,” they are already illegal to possess because they enable handguns or other semi-automatic firearms to match or exceed the rate of fire of many military-grade firearms. MCDs are suspected to have been used in a mass shooting in Birmingham, Alabama, last weekend.
The order also directs federal agencies to minimize the trauma of school shooter drills, which most schools use to prepare students and staff for an active shooter situation. White House officials say there is very limited research on how to design and deploy these drills to maximize their effectiveness and limit any collateral harms they may cause. —WHYY
More on the Hill:
Murder and other violent crime dropped across the U.S. last year, FBI data shows —NBC News
Background checks blocked thousands of gun sales to youth, domestic abusers, White House says —Reuters
Gun-owning VP Kamala Harris says ‘they’re getting shot’ if intruder breaks into her house —USA Today
The most surprising new gun owners are U.S. liberals —The Wall Street Journal
In the Courts
The Texas Supreme Court dealt a final blow last night to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s attempt to quash the Texas State Fair’s newly implemented no-gun policy. In an order issued 13 hours before the event is set to begin, the all-Republican court denied Paxton’s request for a temporary injunction against the firearms ban, meaning fairgoers—except peace officers—must leave their weapons behind before entering Fair Park. “This Court cannot possibly order the State Fair to allow handguns to be carried at this year’s Fair when the party seeking that relief does not even argue that Texas law obligates the Fair to do so,” Justice Jimmy Block wrote. —Austin-American Statesman
We say: This was an open-and-shut case from the start. In a performative legal challenge with little basis in law, AG Paxton chose to score political points at the potential expense of public safety. The Texas Supreme Court made the right call.
More in the courts:
The Supreme Court expanded gun rights. That could complicate the Trump assassination attempt case —Politico
Supreme Court’s gun rulings leave baffled judges asking for help —The New York Times
State wraps up in challenge to Illinois assault weapons ban with testimony focused on military uses —WTTW
Second Amendment Foundation appeals to Maryland Supreme Court in challenge to state’s red flag law —Tampa Free Press
As Oregon’s ghost gun ban goes into effect, SCOTUS to look at federal rule’s legitimacy —Fox13
In the States
California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a package of gun laws on Tuesday that bolsters the state’s red flag laws by developing enhanced training for law enforcement. The package also includes measures that strengthen safe storage requirements; create more resources for child custody caseworkers and officers to determine whether abusers can have access to firearms; restrict animal abusers and individuals unable to stand trial from having guns; and increase information-sharing to make it easier for state courts to prevent individuals deemed as threats from possessing firearms. —The Hill
We say: Good move, California. This package focuses, as it should, on who can—and can’t—possess firearms. As 97Percent Board Member Mark Harvey notes, “Both attempted shootings of Donald Trump have been with firearms the perpetrators shouldn’t have had. Makes a whole lot of sense to close those loopholes, doesn’t it? Safe storage, red flag laws, and gun show background checks.” Indeed. Our studies show that not only are safe storage and red flag laws widely supported by both gun owners and non-gun owners alike, but providing adequate training for law enforcement officers, as the California measure calls for, is key for LEOs to effectively implement these life-saving laws.
More in the states:
Alabama: Democrats call for actions in wake of Birmingham shooting —AL Reporter
Alabama: GOP lawmakers now back Glock switch ban after mass shooting at Birmingham lounge —AL Reporter
Florida: Ryan Wesley Routh, suspect in apparent assassination attempt of Trump, charged with federal gun crimes —ABC News
Maine: Gun safety advocates launch citizen initiative to put red flag law on the ballot —Maine Public Radio
Massachusetts: State gun law opponents push suspension drive —The Gardner News
North Carolina: Father of teen accused in mass shooting sentenced to one year probation —WRAL
Utah: Gov. Spencer Cox could support a secure firearm storage law —Utah News Dispatch
“There are certain things an overwhelming number of Americans support. 97Percent has a lot ahead of it to get done, but any type of organization that can bring people of different perspectives to the table can get things done. The vast majority of American gun owners don’t agree with all of the absolutism of the NRA and of the pro-gun rights groups to the right of the NRA who think the NRA is too soft. And the NRA is losing a lot of its influence because of its internal corruption as well. But most American gun owners don’t think that way.
The thing is, in this bifurcated society that we live in, where everything is either red or blue, you have to choose a team. If you don’t have gun owners actually saying, ‘These are things we need to get done, and we agree with this,’ and coming out in public and making arguments and working together, things are not going to get done.” —Dr. Pierre Atlas, 97Percent Advisory Board Member
If you missed Dr. Atlas’ presentation last week…
“American Exceptionalism and Guns: Comparing Gun Rights and Gun Violence in the U.S. and Other Democracies” is archived here. We encourage you to listen!
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