A ghost gun is displayed before the start of an event on gun violence in the White House Rose Garden on April 11, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
The Maine Gun Safety Coalition is asking state lawmakers to ban ghost guns after an untraceable firearm was used by the alleged UnitedHealthcare CEO shooter.
Firearms known as “ghost guns” do not have a serial number because they are usually built at home with a kit or with the assembly of individual pieces. They could also be made with a 3D printer.
Previous attempts by Maine lawmakers to ban the manufacture, sale and possession of ghost guns have been unsuccessful. A Proposal 2019 died before receiving a vote in the Maine House of Representatives or Senate. Another one account reached the House floors in 2021, but was voted out.
The Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine and the National Rifle Association testified against both bills for several reasons, including the argument that law-abiding enthusiasts should be given the opportunity to make firearms by hand without the government going too far.
“I see no reason for manufacturers to introduce non-serialized gun parts other than to allow buyers to circumvent the law,” Nacole Palmer, executive director of the Maine Gun Safety Coalition, said in a statement Thursday.
Police suspect alleged shooter, Luigi Mangione, used a ghost gun which was made possible with a 3D printer to kill UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York earlier this month. The firearm could fire 9mm bullets. Mangione was arrested in Pennsylvania days after the shooting.
Earlier this summer, Portland police held a press conference about the increase in gun violence and drug activity in the city, including an increase in these untraceable firearms. Police said they recovered three ghost guns in two weeks this summer.
The Biden administration has taken steps to address untraceable guns at the federal level. It was announced in 2022 new rules that require certain parts of a firearm to have a serial number.
However, this has led to resistance from gun rights groups, such as the National Rifle Association, which was part of the effort to make this happen challenge this rule to the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing that it violates a constitutional right to privately build firearms.
But the Maine Gun Safety Coalition, which advocates for more robust state and federal gun policies, said states like Maine can do more to prevent the undetectable spread of homemade guns.
For example, state law could require those who finish assembling a ghost gun to ensure that the entire firearm is serialized, which would essentially prohibit the ownership of unserialized or untraceable guns. The gun safety group says this would still allow those who want to assemble their own weapons to do so, as long as they ensure the finished product has a serial number.
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