Tong Calls On U.S. Attorney General To Close Ghost Gun Loophole

Press release from the AG's Office:

March 26, 2021

Attorney General William Tong joined 18 other state attorneys general in issuing https://www.attorneygeneral.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2021-03-22-AG-Garland.pdfa letter calling on U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland to close the loophole in the ATF’s interpretation of the federal Gun Control Act that allows criminals, domestic abusers, and other prohibited purchasers of firearms to evade common-sense gun laws and purchase 80 percent receivers, which can be easily assembled into unserialized and untraceable ghost guns.

Ghost guns typically start as “80 percent receivers” that are often sold in kits without background checks. Currently, ATF’s incorrect interpretation allows 80 percent receiver kits to be sold online and at gun shows throughout the country without background checks. They are also not required to use serial numbers, making them untraceable by law enforcement after being assembled.

“This loophole flies in the face of commonsense gun safety laws,” Attorney General Tong said. “Here in Connecticut, we have some of the strongest gun safety laws on the books — we banned ghost guns in 2019 — but these statutes can only go so far if we can’t close these dangerous federal loopholes. The ATF interpretation of the Gun Control Act is wrong and a threat to public safety and national security.”

The Attorneys General are calling on U.S. Attorney General Garland to issue a new interpretation of the Gun Control Act that will include 80 percent receivers in the category of firearms that require background checks.

Attorney General Tong is joined by the attorneys general of Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawai’i, Illinois, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington.

This press release was produced by the AG's Office. The views expressed here are the author's own.