Mayor Adams's Statement on ATF's Efforts to Close Ghost Gun Loophole

December 28, 2022

NEW YORK – New York City Mayor Eric Adams today released the following statement after the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) took steps to close the ‘ghost gun’ loophole:

“The numbers don’t lie — the proliferation of ghost guns in New York City and in big cities across the nation is the fastest-growing gun safety problem facing our country. This year alone, the NYPD has recovered more than 430 ghost guns, the highest number in city history, and a staggering 2,400-percent increase from the 17 recovered in 2018.

“Our administration has taken aggressive action against ghost gun manufacturers, but the existing loophole that enables vendors to sell near-complete frames and receivers that are easily converted into operational and untraceable firearms is substantially undermining our efforts, taking lives, and helping criminals avoid prosecution.

“I applaud the Biden-Harris administration, and ATF specifically, for taking this commonsense step to regulate the sale of deadly weapons and close this longstanding loophole that has contributed to the increase in violent crime across the country. We know that nothing can bring back the victims of gun violence, but this action will help spare more families the heartbreak of losing a loved one to these deadly and untraceable weapons.”

Earlier this year, Mayor Adams spoke with ATF Director Steven Dettelbach about closing the ghost gun loophole.

This past summer, the City of New York filed a lawsuit against five companies that were unlawfully selling ghost gun kits to New Yorkers. Four of the companies agreed to stop their unlawful behavior, while the courts issued a preliminary injunction to stop the last company’s illegal behavior.