By Grace Hase
San Jose is banning ghost guns, (click here) the untraceable firearms that increasingly have been found at crime scenes in Santa Clara County over the last six years.
The ban is the latest attempt by city leaders to reduce gun violence in the nation’s tenth largest city, which already has adopted a first of its kind law requiring gun owners to insure their weapons.
While the federal government and California have passed recent legislation around the manufacturing, transferring and assembly of ghost guns — which can be easily purchased online without a background check, built at home and lack a serial number — there is no current federal or state law that addresses the possession of ghost guns.
On Tuesday, the San Jose City Council voted unanimously to make it illegal to possess, manufacture, sell or transfer ghost guns or their parts, taking aim at the rapid proliferation of firearms that can be ordered online and delivered without a serial number or the buyer undergoing a background check. The new law, which will give owners of ghost guns 120 days to apply for a serial number through the California Department of Justice, follows other cities such as Oakland, Berkeley, San Diego, San Francisco and Los Angeles that have already banned ghost guns....
Everytown’s research (click here) found that it is possible to buy an AR-15 ghost gun build kit and a lower receiver for as little as $345. Kits for making Glock-type pistol kits with a frame can go for as little as $400. These prices compare favorably to the cost of buying an assembled firearm at retail....
