Hearing Today In NV Senate On Bill To Ban Ghost Guns

Public News Service

May 11, 2021

CARSON CITY, Nev. -- A bill to ban so-called "ghost guns" gets a hearing today in the state Senate Judiciary Committee.

Assembly Bill 286 would prohibit the possession, sale and transfer of unfinished firearm components in Nevada that lack serial numbers and are thus untraceable if used in a crime.

Stephan Abrams, national chapter coordinator and executive council member for Team ENOUGH, the youth affiliate of Brady United, a nonprofit gun violence prevention group, said as an experiment, he bought all the parts online to assemble a semi-automatic pistol when he was just 17.

"Anyone can assemble a ghost gun and also purchase one," Abrams explained. "They don't go through a background check, which is extremely important to make sure that the people who do have guns are safe with them, and they're able to own guns."

Opponents argued the bill wouldn't lower crime, and would be a burden on hobbyists who like to assemble their own weapons.

Recently, the Biden administration proposed a rule to cut down on ghost guns by requiring serial numbers on more types of partially-assembled guns. The administration reports the number of homemade firearms seized at crime scenes in the U.S. increased by eight times between 2016 and 2020.

Abrams argued the "ghost gun" loophole means the background-check system can't protect people.

"Without doing anything to ban the possession of 'ghost guns,' we're unable to really implement life-saving legislation," Abrams asserted.

In Congress, lawmakers are also live-streaming a hearing on this same issue today, in the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on the Constitution.

Assembly Bill 286 Proposed rule Bureau of Alochol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives 05/07/2021 Subcommittee on The Constitution ghost gun hearing Senate Judiciary Committee 05/11/2021

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