IL lawmakers target ‘ghost guns’
A 9mm pistol build kit with a commercial slide and barrel with a polymer frame is displayed before President Joe Biden and Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco speak in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, Monday, April 11, 2022, to announces a final version of its ghost gun rule, which comes with the White House and the Justice Department under growing pressure to crack down on gun deaths. AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster
“Ghost guns” is a phrase for firearms assembled from “buy, build, shoot” kits, D-printed parts, or other unregulated parts that are readily available online. Such a firearm can be assembled with commonly available tools in as little as an hour by a person with no gunsmithing skills and without the usual background check or required Illinois Firearm Owner’s Identification card.
Gun-violence prevention groups have characterized these “privately-made firearms” as one of the fastest-rising gun safety problems in the U.S. — and one that is disproportionately affecting Black and Latino communities. In April 2022, the Illinois General Assembly passed legislation that would ban the sale of “ghost gun” assembly kits as well as any unregistered, privately assembled firearm without a serial number.
GUESTS:
Daniel W. Webster
Co-director, John Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions
Delphine Cherry
Co-chair, Illinois Chapter of the Brady Campaign