Brady Applauds New York Gov. Kathy Hochul for Signing Needed Bills Banning ‘Ghost Guns’

Washington, D.C., October 28, 2021 - Today, Brady applauds New York Governor Kathy Hochul for signing two bills, S13 and S14 and their companion bills A.2666 and A.613, to regulate self-assembled and untraceable ghost guns. These bills will help immediately to stop the proliferation of untraceable ghost guns across New York, weapons that have become the go-to option for gun traffickers and individuals who otherwise would not be able to legally purchase a firearm with a background check.

Brady President Kris Brown shared:

“New Yorkers should take heart that their state legislature and Governor have acted to address the rising threat of ghost guns. These untraceable firearms, sold as easy-to-assemble kits, have already been used in crimes across the state, such as when six-year-old Miguel Everson was shot in the back by his uncle, who was a prohibited purchaser but obtained a ghost gun. These firearms threaten all New Yorkers, but particularly those communities already most impacted by gun violence. Banning the sale of these kits will help to stop the proliferation of these untraceable firearms, stopping this avenue for prohibited individuals to access firearms. Particularly against the backdrop of the increase in homicides and shootings, this is a needed and common-sense public safety law.

Brady thanks Gov. Hochul for signing these bills into law, as well as Senators Kaplan and Hoylman, and Assemblymembers Rosenthal and Levine for championing this important legislation. New York is a safer state because of their work.”

About These Bills:

S13 / A.2666 - This bill would enact the "Scott J. Beigel unfinished receiver act,” making it a crime to sell unfinished frames or receivers in the state of New York.

S14 / A.613 - This bill would enact the “Jose Webster untraceable firearms act,” making it a crime to sell ghost guns and requiring gunsmiths to register and serialize firearms, rifles, shotguns, and unfinished frames or receivers they assemble.

About Ghost Guns:

Ghost guns are unserialized and untraceable firearms that can be bought online and assembled at home. They are often sold through "ghost gun kits," which include all of the parts and often the equipment necessary to build these weapons at home. These kits are widely available and can be purchased by anyone, including prohibited purchasers, domestic abusers, and gun traffickers — without a background check. As these kits and guns are sold at gun shows and online every day throughout the country, they undermine all of the life-saving policies that state legislatures have fought so hard to put in place.

About Brady’s Lawsuit McFadyen v. Ghost Gunner Inc.

Represented by Brady and Brady Legal Alliance partners Orrick, Herrington, & Sutcliffe, the survivors and the families of the people killed in the 2017 mass shooting in Rancho Tehama, California, recently brought forward McFayden v. GhostGunner Inc., the nation’s first two civil lawsuits by victims of gun violence against the ghost gun industry.

Brady alleges in the complaint that the defendants have chosen to engage in a business that utilizes online loopholes that enable prohibited purchasers to acquire weapons without a Brady Background Check or any interaction with a Federal Firearms Licensee (FFL). In doing so, Brady alleges that the defendants have chosen to intentionally undermine federal and state gun laws by designing, marketing, and selling ghost gun kits and firearms parts, which resulted in the Rancho Tehama gunman, who was barred from purchasing or possessing a firearm, being able to obtain two AR-15-style ghost guns. During the gunman’s shooting spree in November 2017, he killed five people and injured 18 others at eight separate crime scenes, including an elementary school.