Brady Applauds Passage of Ban on Ghost Guns in Nevada Senate Committee

Washington, D.C., May 12, 2021 - Today, Brady applauds the passage of AB 286 in the Nevada Senate Judiciary Committee and urges the Nevada Senate to quickly pass this important bill. AB 286 would ban and prevent the further proliferation of ghost guns - firearms constructed from unfinished and unserialized frames and receivers that are often sold in kits that can be assembled into fully functioning firearms.

Brady President Kris Brown shared:

“Over the last few years, ghost guns have proliferated in cities across the country, fueling violence and threatening public safety. The Nevada Legislature is right to tackle this issue head on. The unregulated access to these untraceable weapons is a threat to every family, community and to law enforcement across Nevada and the country. Brady thanks Battle Born Progress and Assemblywoman Jauregui, herself a survivor of the mass shooting at the Route 91 Harvest Music festival in Las Vegas, for championing this legislation. The Nevada Senate must now pass this bill without delay.”

Battle Born Progress Executive Director Annette Magnus said:

“We thank the Senate Judiciary members who voted to move AB286 to the full Senate Floor today, especially Chairwoman Melanie Scheible for her leadership and Assemblywoman Sandra Jauregui for her courage in sponsoring this bill. As the federal government and Biden administration debate action on ghost guns at the national level, Nevada is showing it’s already ahead of the curve on gun violence prevention by moving this bill forward. Ghost guns are being increasingly found at violent crime scenes all over the country because their untraceable and ease of purchase make them attractive to those who wish to do harm. We look forward to seeing AB286 receive a vote by the full Senate to bring Nevada one step closer to banning dangerous ghost guns and move to the Governor’s desk.”

Brady Program Manager Steve Lindley, the former Chief of the California Department of Justice’s Bureau of Firearms, shared:

“As a former law enforcement official, I’ve watched as ghost guns have proliferated across the country in direct response to common-sense and comprehensive gun laws. These unregulated and untraceable firearms are an existential threat to public safety. They are marketed explicitly as a way for individuals who otherwise would be prohibited from possessing a firearm to obtain one. The Nevada Senate must address this pressing threat and they must pass AB 286.”

The Brady Nevada State Executive Committee shared:

“The Nevada Senate Judiciary Committee has prudently moved this common-sense bill forward for the Nevada Senate to consider. The full Senate must pass this bill. Our state has experienced too much gun violence, including the deadliest shooting in modern American history in 2017. Ghost guns represent a new and frightening avenue for weapons to proliferate in our communities and to threaten our families. Brady Nevada is grateful to Assemblymember Jauregui for standing up and championing this common-sense law that addresses a growing threat to our state’s and country’s safety. Now the Nevada Senate must pass this vital bill.”

Team ENOUGH Executive Councilmember Stephan Abrams shared:

“My generation has grown up watching unchecked gun violence threaten our communities, our schools, our movie theatres, our concerts, and our families, all while elected officials fail to take action. The proliferation of ghost guns threatens to make that violence even worse, further threatening public safety and law enforcement. We cannot allow that and we cannot afford continued inaction from public officials. Team ENOUGH thanks Assemblywoman Jauregui for introducing this bill and the Nevada Assembly and Senate Judiciary Committee for passing it. We urge the Nevada Senate to follow their wise example and pass AB 286 immediately.”

About AB 286:

AB 286 would prohibit an individual from possessing, selling, transferring, or purchasing an unfinished frame or receiver, which can be easily assembled into a ghost gun. The bill would likewise ban the possession of existing ghost guns. This bill includes common-sense carve outs such as an exception for firearms importers or manufacturers and for certain types of firearms including those rendered permanently inoperable, antique, or collector’s items, such as for hobbyists or collectors.

About Ghost Guns:

Ghost guns are unserialized and untraceable firearms that are often made from "ghost gun kits," that can be bought online, at gun shows or at gun stores and assembled at home. "Ghost gun kits," 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. We have seen ghost guns used in crimes already, such as in New York, where six-year-old Miguel Everson was shot in the back by his uncle, who was a prohibited purchaser but obtained a ghost gun, and in the 2019 Saugus High School Shooting, where a minor used a .45 caliber pistol that was assembled from a kit.

This is a growing concern, as:

  • The ATF estimated that in just 2019, over 10,000 ghost guns were recovered by law enforcement.

  • The CA Bureau of Firearms seized 512 percent more ghost guns from persons identified through the Armed Prohibited Persons System database in 2019 than in 2018.

  • In January 2020, the ATF’s Los Angeles Field Division reported that over 40 percent of its cases involved ghost guns.

  • In San Francisco, the number of ghost guns seized by local law enforcement jumped 600 percent between 2017 and 2019

  • In Onondaga County, in New York State the number of ghost guns recovered jumped 188 percent between 2018 and 2019 and in 2020, the county was again on track to break their record for recoveries - halfway through the year, more ghost guns had been recovered than in all of 2019.

About Brady’s First-of-its-Kind Lawsuit, McFadyen v. Ghost Gunner Inc.:

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

Plaintiffs allege 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 allowed the Rancho Tehama gunman, who was barred from purchasing or possessing a firearm, 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.

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Brady has one powerful mission — to unite all Americans against gun violence. We work across Congress, the courts, and our communities with over 90 grassroots chapters, bringing together young and old, red and blue, and every shade of color to find common ground in common sense. In the spirit of our namesakes Jim and Sarah Brady, we have fought for over 45 years to take action, not sides, and we will not stop until this epidemic ends. It’s in our hands.


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