Blumenthal Statement on Supreme Court Ruling Upholding Ghost Gun Safety Measures

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) today released the below statement following the Supreme Court of the United States ruling to uphold common-sense federal safety measures, including required background checks, that are aimed at reducing the threat of violence posed by ghost guns:

“The Supreme Court made the right decision today in upholding required background checks and other safeguards for ghost gun purchases. These readily available and easily assembled weapons pose a major threat to public safety and law enforcement’s ability to protect our communities from the threat of gun violence. Legislation like my Ghost Guns and Untraceable Firearms Act is still needed to deter the Trump Administration from rolling back critical safety measures and to ensure that regulations that prevent domestic abusers, criminals, and terrorists from getting their hands on these weapons stay in place.”

Blumenthal is the author of the Ghost Guns and Untraceable Firearms Act, which bans guns that are easily assembled with a 3-D printer or a do-it-yourself gun-making kit purchased from an unlicensed seller.

Blumenthal’s legislation permanently includes the core building blocks of ghost guns—unfinished frames and receivers—in the definition of “firearm” under federal law. In doing so, online and other gun kit manufacturers and distributors selling frames and receivers that can readily be converted into fully functional weapons would be required to comply with the same federal regulations that govern the production and distribution of completed firearms. The legislation also requires sellers to have a manufacturer’s license and put a serial number on the frame or receiver included in each kit, and that purchasers undergo a background check.

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