With 13 ‘yes’ votes, the Los Angeles City Council voted to ban the possession, transport and sale of “ghost guns.”

The term ghost guns are used to describe firearms that have unfinished frames or are un-serialized.

Councilman Paul Koretz brought forward the motion, Tuesday, saying in 2020, the Los Angeles Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives recorded 41% of its cases involved ghost guns. Koretz also said that the “criminal underground” has relied on unmarked firearms, adding they are prone to use in states with restrictive gun laws.

“These guns and the industry that produces them have flourished because of a loophole in federal regulations,” Koretz said in Tuesday’s city council meeting. “The parts used to build privately made firearms are classified as components, not actual guns, which means online buyers are not required to undergo background checks or register the weapons. That makes them a powerful magnet for those banned from gun ownership.”

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING

Senator Alex Padilla

“Ghost guns are unserialized, untraceable, and pose a threat to public safety,” Senator Alex Padilla said. “I’m glad to see LA City Council is holding a hearing on banning ghost guns and support their ordinance to do so.”

Senator Dianne Feinstein

“California continues to lead on gun safety with Los Angeles joining San Francisco and San Diego in banning ghost guns,” Feinstein said. “Untraceable firearms have no business on our streets and I’m glad the city council acted decisively to remove them. President Biden has taken action at the federal level and Democrats introduced congressional legislation to ban them. However, that legislation is currently being blocked by Senate Republicans so it’s important for more cities and counties to step up and join our effort to ban ghost guns.”

People’s City Council- Los Angeles

“If the cops want to talk about ‘theft’ and ‘ghost guns,’ then let’s talk about the
@LAPDHQ officers that were caught taking guns from the police gun club and selling them.”

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