Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signed laws on Wednesday to ban the sale and possession of so-called “ghost weapons,” making Illinois the primary state within the Midwest to crack down on untraceable, do-it-yourself firearms.
The laws, launched by state Rep. Kam Buckner and state Sen. Jacqueline Collins, makes it unlawful for somebody to promote, provide to promote or switch an unserialized, unfinished gun body or receiver or an unfinished firearm — together with these produced utilizing a 3-D printer.
The time period “ghost gun” refers to home made, DIY-type weapons that don’t have serial numbers or different figuring out markers, which makes it tough for regulation enforcement to trace their maker, vendor or unique proprietor. One of many extra in style methods individuals create ghost weapons is by shopping for pre-made components and assembling them right into a firearm at dwelling.
“Cracking down on unregistered firearms is a vital step to placing an finish to the epidemic of gun violence in our state,” mentioned Buckner, a Chicago mayoral candidate difficult incumbent Lori Lightfoot. “Make no mistake, the one individuals who want their weapons to be untraceable are individuals planning to commit crimes. These ruthless, calculated shootings can not proceed.”
Pritzker mentioned that ghost weapons are extra accessible to youth as a result of they're each cheaper and simpler to accumulate than typical firearms. At the very least two youngsters have been charged this month with possession of ghost weapons in Illinois, together with one who introduced a loaded ghost gun to their highschool.
In response to the governor, Illinois State Police have labored on 28 circumstances regarding ghost weapons this month alone.
“The individuals creating, promoting and buying these firearms know that they’re working to avoid common sense gun legal guidelines that guarantee weapons keep out of the arms of traffickers, abusers and convicted criminals,” Pritzker mentioned. “We're seeing these unserialized weapons being inbuilt basements by those that ought to by no means have had entry to such harmful weapons after which used to commit heinous crimes, and it have to be stopped to maintain Illinoisans secure.”
Since getting into workplace, President Joe Biden has targeted on eliminating ghost weapons, taking steps on the federal degree to require serialization and to reclassify construct kits as firearms. In April, the president introduced a brand new rule that updates the definitions of “firearm” and “body or receiver” below the Gun Management Act to cowl kits and parts that may very well be simply assembled at dwelling into ghost weapons. The rule requires industrial firearm sellers to mark each body or receiver with a serial quantity in order that home made weapons can nonetheless be traced in the event that they’re utilized in crimes.
“Ghost weapons current a transparent and current hazard to nationwide safety and public security,” Sean Holihan, state legislative director for the anti-gun violence group Giffords, mentioned in a press release. “These do-it-yourself firearms are more and more getting used to commit violent crimes and, as a result of they're untraceable, they make regulation enforcement’s job to start and shut an investigation extremely tough.”
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