Apr 16, 2022 3 min read

The right to keep and bear arms is guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution, though you have to wonder if the founders would have added some caveats if they could have foreseen a day when battlefield weapons that can mow down 50 people in just a minute or two would be readily available.

There are millions upon millions of guns in circulation in the United States today, and technology has made it possible for people to bypass the gun store entirely. They can search around online, purchase the parts to assemble a gun in their home, and it will be completely untraceable. Guns can be cobbled together like Frankenstein’s monster from parts of other firearms, be created through 3D printers, or be made through so-called “buy build shoot” kits. They’ve been dubbed “ghost guns,” and they’ve been turning up with increasing frequency at crime scenes across the country.

This week, President Biden announced new rules requiring serial numbers be placed on some of the parts used in making the weapons, that the sellers be licensed, and buyers must be subject to background checks. The president has also been pushing for a ban on high-capacity magazines and assault weapons, a background check for all gun purchases and that gun manufacturers lose immunity from liability. Making it easier to trace ghost guns won’t solve all the problems we have with gun violence in this country, but it’s certainly a step in the right direction.

And if you want to fully understand the urgency of cracking down on ghost guns, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives reported that in a five-year span ending Dec. 31, 2020, close to 24,000 ghost guns had been recovered by law enforcement officials at crime scenes, including more than 300 homicides. Last year, police in Los Angeles recovered twice as many ghost guns as they did the year before. In 2021, police in New York City recovered 375 ghost guns; in 2018, they recovered just 17.

It’s all part of America’s broader problem with gun violence. The mass shooting on Tuesday in a New York City subway station was just one in a long line of incidents where multiple innocent people end up dead or seriously injured due to gunplay. Almost 20,000 Americans were victims of gun-related murders in the United States in 2020, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and account for 79% of all homicides. By comparison, guns are used in only 4% of all murders in the United Kingdom.

Following Biden’s announcement, Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro, who is also a Democratic gubernatorial candidate, said he had been trying to close the ghost gun loophole in the commonwealth for years, but had been mired in litigation from ghost gun manufacturers and lobbyists. He said, “While I know this is only one part of the solution, having those kits and parts regulated will make it illegal for them to be sold to criminals and will assist law enforcement in investigations into crimes committed with these guns.”

In an election season, some candidates place a premium on appearing tough, and, more specifically, vowing to be tough on crime. But it all adds up to so much empty posturing if they are unwilling to be tough when it comes to guns, and getting the deadliest ones off our streets.