Attorney General James Applauds Biden Administration’s New Regulations Targeting Dangerous “Ghost Guns”

NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James today applauded U.S. President Joe Biden’s new federal regulations to crack down on ghost guns. These regulations are significant steps in addressing gun violence that is plaguing communities across New York and the country, and Attorney General James previously called on the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to regulate ghost guns under federal law.

“Dangerous ghost guns exist for only one purpose — to put guns into the hands of those who are legally prohibited from owning a firearm,” said Attorney General James. “In New York, we have taken significant action to crack down on gun violence, taking more than 2,700 guns off our streets and shutting down websites that sell ghost guns in New York. But our efforts can only go so far if these untraceable weapons are not effectively regulated at the federal level. Ghost guns are just as dangerous as traditional firearms, and with the nomination of Steve Dettelbach to serve as director of the ATF, Americans can feel confident in the federal government’s commitment to gun safety. I thank President Biden for his unwavering dedication to this issue, and I look forward to working with him to keep our communities safe.”

Attorney General James has taken significant action to support gun safety measures. In August 2021, she joined a coalition of 22 attorneys general in urging DOJ to finalize regulations that would make clear that ghost guns are firearms under federal law. In December 2021, Attorney General James vowed to defend a New York state law that restores the ability of the state and localities to bring civil liability actions against firearm manufacturers and sellers for their own bad conduct. Attorney General James continues to defend New York state’s gun licensing protection law at the U.S. Supreme Court against a lawsuit in the case of New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen.

Attorney General James has taken numerous other actions to ensure that New York state has the right to protect its residents from gun violence, including filing a number of amicus briefs defending states’ gun safety laws; suing the Trump administration for making dangerous 3D-printed gun files more accessible on the internet; stopping companies from selling online, incomplete ghost gun pieces to New Yorkers that could be easily assembled into illegal assault weapons; and taking more than 2,700 firearms off the streets through dozens of gun buyback events and other efforts; among other efforts.