This week, President Joe Biden and the U.S. Department of Justice issued a thoughtful, new rule to rein in the proliferation of “ghost guns.” These are personally-made, fully functional, and virtually untraceable firearms that are assembled by purchasing unserialized parts on the internet. The weapons are also increasingly being recovered at crime scenes all over the country.
The federal government will now mandate licenses for the manufacturers and the sellers, require background checks for the buyers, and outlaw components without serial numbers, bringing the laws concerning ghost guns in line with existing laws for commercially made firearms.
President Biden's common sense regulation will help keep us safe and allow for greater accountability if these weapons are used to wreak havoc on our communities.
My Office has worked tirelessly to rid Queens County of ghost guns and dismantle what we are calling the "polymer pipeline." Our efforts have resulted in seven takedowns in the past eight months, including the largest seizure of illegal ghost gun kits in New York State to date.
I commend the efforts of the Biden administration on gun safety.