Chicago City Wire

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot is commending state lawmakers for passing legislation to hinder the production and sale of "ghost guns."

“They are an emerging danger in the City of Chicago and that’s why I opposed them and supported this legislation,” Lightfoot wrote on Twitter on April 9. “We’ve got to do more to protect our residents against this emerging threat. The legislation passed by both chambers early this morning would finally establish a regulatory scheme for firearms without serial numbers and set penalties for those found to be out of compliance.”

Chicago police officers recovered more than 12,000 guns in 2021, 458 of which were ghost guns.

The bill that would ban the sale or transfer of firearm parts and kits that do not have serial numbers, CBS Chicago reported. The aim of the legislation is to eradicate ghost guns — firearms assembled from a kit, often made by 3D printers, which do not have serial numbers. The bill is awaiting Gov. Pritzker's signature. 

The Chicago Sun Times reported Sen. Jacqueline Collins (D-Chicago) and Rep. Kam Buckner (D-Chicago) sponsored the legislation. The legislation passed without a single Republican vote. 

Ten states, including California, New York, and New Jersey, already have laws in place banning ghost guns. In the last 6 years, ghost guns have been connected to 325 shootings nationwide.

Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diaz told FOX 13 that the city’s police department recovered 24 ghost guns this year.

“What we’re seeing is just an immense amount of guns that are on the streets,” Diaz said, according to FOX 13. “We are seeing an increased amount of ghost guns that are affecting and being used in our communities.”

The Biden administration is working to crack down on ghost guns at the federal level. A new rule would require federal firearm dealers to add serial numbers to any ghost guns that come their way. It would also change the definition of “firearm” to include individual firearm parts, so those parts would now require licenses and serial numbers, and firearms dealers would need to run background checks before selling individual parts.

“They call this rule I’m about to announce extreme. Extreme!” Biden said at the White House Rose Garden April 11 event. “But let me ask you — is it extreme to protect police officers, extreme to protect our children, extreme to keep guns out of the hands of people who couldn’t even pass a background check?”