The number of ghost guns used in crimes has decreased since the Covid-19 pandemic, a new report from the California Department of Justice’s Office of Firearms (OGVP) shows.
The California Department of Justice released a report titled “California’s Fight Against the Ghost Gun Crisis: Progress and New Challenges,” highlighting significant progress in the fight against ghost guns through litigation, legislation, and policy changes.
The report filed by State Attorney Rob Bonta shows a 600% increase in ghost gun recoveries from 2019 to 2021, with a 1,236% increase in domestic violence cases.
At a press conference a few days ago, Bonta announced the case of a San José man who was arrested for domestic violence after threatening his victims with a ghost gun.
In the report, statistical data indicates that, in 2020, authorities recovered 5,490 ghost weapons; 10,877 in 2021; 10,098 in 2022 and 8,340 in 2023.
The state attorney highlighted that since June 2022, California has seen a 23% decrease in ghost gun recoveries.
The report revealed by the prosecutor also emphasizes the need to continue acting against ghost weapons, including the application of new laws directed against 3D printed weapons.
“When it comes to gun violence, California is a model of what is possible through common sense actions,” Bonta said.
“30 years ago we had one of the highest firearm death rates in the country; Today we have one of the lowest firearm mortality rates in the country.”
The OGVP report highlights state efforts to address the ghost gun threat.
Bonta described such weapons as being produced by people without a license, from products sold without background checks, serial numbers, sales records or other security protections.
Economic sanctions on companies
The report mentions that court documents indicate that, in the span of approximately six years, a single ghost gun company sold more than 200,000 unserialized ghost gun kits in California before litigation and legislative reforms prevented them from selling more. .
In June of this year, California Attorney General Rob Bonta and San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins, who were assisted by volunteer attorneys from the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence and Keker, Van Nest & Peters , LLP, announced that final judgments have been entered against the Blackhawk Manufacturing companies. (Blackhawk), GS Performance LLC (Glockstore) and MDX Corporation (MDX) as part of an agreement.
Pursuant to the rulings, the companies were permanently prohibited from manufacturing or selling non-serialized ghost gun kits and firearms precursor parts in California.
Precursor firearm parts are items that can be easily converted into a firearm frame or receiver, or are marketed as such.
The companies will also pay civil penalties: $500,000 from Blackhawk, $120,000 from Glockstore and $55,000 from MDX. The rulings resolve allegations that the companies violated federal and California laws in the manufacture, advertising and sale of ghost gun kits and firearm precursor parts.
The report’s data shows that California was especially hard hit by the ghost gun crisis.
In fact, between 2017 and 2021, the “Golden State” accounted for 12% of all guns recovered from crimes nationwide and tracked by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Likewise, California accounted for 55% of the firearms reported to the ATF that were identified as ghost guns.
A decisive case in the Supreme Court
Mike McLively, policy director at the Giffords Center for Violence Intervention, said the state of California has worked “tirelessly” to address “the epidemic of gun violence in the United States.”
McLively noted that California is a model for others. in the nation, because three decades ago it had the third-highest firearm homicide rate nationwide and the 16th-highest overall firearm mortality rate.
“We now have the seventh-lowest gun death rate in the country, and significantly lower than states like Texas and Florida,” he stressed, considering the willingness and willingness of state leaders to examine trends, look at the data and take innovative steps to be at the forefront of the fight against guns, particularly ghost guns, which are nearly impossible to trace.
The Giffords Center expert stated that next week the United States Supreme Court will hear the Garland v. VanDerStok, regarding a challenge to the ATF’s federal rule regulating ghost guns.
“If it is ultimately overturned, which is entirely possible, given the fairly extreme nature of the Supreme Court we have right now, it will be more important than ever for our state leaders, including Attorney General Rob Bonta, Governor Gavin Newsom and our leaders in the California legislature, continue to lead the way on this issue and set an example for the rest of the country,” said Mike McLively.
The largest kit producer closes
For her part, Krystal LoPilato, senior policy advisor at Everytown for Gun Safety, the largest gun prevention organization in the United States, indicated that the analysis “California’s fight against the ghost gun crisis: progress and New Challenges,” is a must-read for any state interested in protecting communities from an industry that attempts to circumvent gun safety laws for its own financial gain.”
LoPilato recalled that just a month ago, the country’s largest producer of ghost gun kits and components closed its business, “essentially demonstrating that its business model was not compatible with the level of legal challenges presented after the regulations were enacted. regulations on smart ghost guns.”
Indeed, the New York company Polymer 80 allowed people, including those prohibited from owning firearms, to build unserialized, untraceable ghost guns that have been part of gun violence crises in the United States. United during the last years.
What are ghost gun kits?
The kits can be used to assemble a fully functional gun in less than 30 minutes and are typically sold without a serial number or background check.
As a result, people who are legally prohibited from purchasing or possessing firearms could obtain ghost guns.
The lack of serial numbers on these firearms also makes them essentially untraceable, making them attractive to criminals and hampering law enforcement’s ability to prevent and solve crimes.
According to data reported by the California Department of Justice’s Bureau of Firearms, the number of ghost guns recovered by law enforcement in California increased by more than 49,000% from 2015 to 2021.
Fountain: Office of California State Attorney Rob Bonta.