Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced on Monday that the biggest gun show promoter in Pennsylvania has banned the sale of so-called “80 percent receiver” kits, a common basis for untraceable homemade ghost guns.
The kits, also known as “80 percent lowers,” are controversial because they are typically sold without background checks, and can be assembled into a fully-functioning firearm that lacks a serial number and so essentially cannot be traced.
Shapiro said ghost guns, which are often assembled out of 80 percent receiver kits, are favored by criminals.
“Ghost guns are quickly becoming the weapon of choice for criminals and fueling the gun violence epidemic,“ Shapiro said. ”These DIY gun kits should be subject to the same background checks and qualifications as fully functioning firearms to prevent criminals who are not legally able to purchase or possess guns from getting their hands on these deadly, untraceable weapons.”
Investigators have been recovering increasing numbers of ghost guns in recent years, Shapiro’s office said, from 99 in 2019 to 250 last year.
Two people were killed with such weapons in Snyder County last July, his office said, adding that, “previous investigations show that ghost guns have been responsible for multiple homicides.”
Calling the decision by the gun promoter “a positive step toward limiting access to ghost guns by criminals,” Shapiro called for measures to close what he said were legal loopholes that let people who are prohibited from buying guns purchase 80 percent kits and assemble ghost guns.
“Criminals don’t obey the laws against robbery, rape, and murder, and will all the more so disregard laws about types of guns or registration requirements,” he said. “And the quantities they steal or buy on the black market far outnumber those few who go to the trouble of making the so-called ‘ghost guns.’”
“I want to do the right thing. It’s the right thing. If we can keep them out of the bad guys’ hands, fantastic,” Koehler told the outlet.
“It’s a win-win for all of us to keep the streets and playgrounds safer,” Koehler added. “They should be for basketball and sports and for fun, not for bullets flying around by kids that aren’t even old enough to buy firearms.”
Kim Stolfer, president of the Pennsylvania chapter of Firearms Owners Against Crime, praised Eagle Arms for the action and said that “legitimate vendors” at events support the move.
Getting ahead of possible criticism by Second Amendment advocates, Stolfer said that ghost guns “turning up on almost a daily basis at crime scenes” in the area are a bigger threat to gun rights than banning the sale of the kits.
“The failure of the Second Amendment community to police our ranks opens the door for opportunistic politicians to seize on these crimes to advance a gun control agenda,” Stolfer said.
At the same time, Stolfer said he opposes legislation that would ban ghost guns, as there are legitimate reasons people buy the kits, such as hobbyists who enjoy putting together their own firearm.
Brown praised Koehler’s decision to ban the sale of the kits at his shows, but acknowledged that it alone would not solve the problem of violence in his community. The kits, after all, can still be purchased from gun dealers or online.
