Statement from State Senator Anna M. Kaplan On News of President Biden's Planned Actions on Ghost Guns

CARLE PLACE, NY (APRIL 7, 2021) - New York State Senator Anna M. Kaplan (D-North Hills) issued the following statement today on news that President Joe Biden will be taking action on ghost guns this week:

Senator Anna M. Kaplan said “for the last four years, the federal government has turned a blind eye to the raging epidemic of gun violence that senselessly claims thousands of American lives each year, so I'm thrilled to learn that President Biden will be taking executive action tomorrow to finally address the problem of unregistered, unregulated ghost guns that routinely fall into the hands of people who could never pass a legal background check.

This executive action is the first step to address the crisis of gun violence, but we still need to enact permanent legislation to codify these regulations into the law. Here in New York, the State Senate has already taken action by passing my bill, the Scott J. Beigel Unfinished Receivers Act, and Senator Brad Hoylman's bill, the Jose Webster Untraceable Firearms Act, which together would become the nation's strongest protections against ghost guns and unregulated homemade firearms. It's time that the State Assembly stepped up and passed these common-sense reforms to protect our communities."