Such were the words of Fred Guttenburg whose daughter was shot and killed at Parkland. He was responding to President Biden’s announcing Executive Action to regulate Ghost Guns.
Ghost Guns (GG) are a growing menace to safety. GG can be purchased online with no background checks and no serial numbers making them nearly untraceable, and can be assembled at home between 30-90 minutes. Since 2016, the sale of GG has increased 10-fold. Since 5% of gun dealers account for 90% of crime guns, many of these guns sold are GG, leading the police to be able to trace only 1% of the guns.
President Biden’s Executive Action today mandates four regulations: 1) Going after rogue gun dealers who sell unserialized guns without background checks; 2) Shutting down illegal interstate gun selling; 3) Supporting the hiring and fair-pay of police; 4) Providing funding, job training and Pell Grants for people released from prison. The President announced that those who commit a crime with a GG can expect federal prosecution. He called for Congress to eliminate gun manufacturers from immunity, to ban assault-style weapons, and to pass universal background checks to include gun sales from licensed dealers and for private sales. He also nominated Steve Dettelbach to head the ATF Department which has not had an approved head for seven years due to political wrangling and the opposition of the NRA.
A leader in the GVP movement says this executive action is the most significant in decades. Fred validated the action saying “Today is a day to save lives. Now we need a Congress that works.”
A Glorious Day!
Ron Letnes (Rev. Dr.)
