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Attorney General Nessel Issues Statement on SCOTUS ‘Ghost Gun’ Order

LANSING – Today, the United States Supreme Court granted a stay of enforcement against a ruling by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas that vacated the Biden administration’s restrictions on ‘ghost guns.’ Ghost guns are those built by private citizens from kits that can be purchased with very little regulation and restriction. These user-friendly kits typically contain nearly complete firearms parts and require a minor amount of assembly to become fully functional weapons. They do not carry serial numbers, which renders them untraceable. With today’s order from the Court, the Biden Administration may begin enforcement of the new regulations from the Bureau of Alcohol Tabacco and Firearms, which require the guns to have serial numbers and mandate that sellers keep transaction records of the sales and administer background checks on those who purchase these kits.

In response, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel issued the following statement: 

“Every day we rely on common sense regulations to prevent guns from ending up in the wrong hands, and exempting ghost guns from any oversight has been disastrous. Untraceable handguns that can be sold without background checks or records of sale are a danger to every person in every community."  

“The Biden administration rules to regulate the sale of these weapons are essential in protecting the public from gun violence. These regulations close a catastrophic loophole and will make our communities safer for our loved ones and for our law enforcement officers.” 

Nessel, who first took office in 2019, has been an outspoken advocate for gun safety measures, including increased accountability for manufacturers, efforts to remove ghost-guns from our streets, and banning firearms from the Capitol and other state facilities.  Most recently, she testified before the Michigan Senate in support of gun safety legislation that would expand background checks, establish safe storage guidelines, and create a process for the Extreme Risk Protection Orders that are now enshrined in state law. She also recently joined a coalition of 17 state attorneys general advocating for a federal restriction on handgun sales to individuals under the age of 21.

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