New York State Senator Luis Sepulveda Changes the Definition of "Firearm" and Attacks Ghost Guns. Bill is passed and heads to the Governor.

In the face of increasing criminal activity, tragedies and loss of life caused by illegal guns and seeing how more and more criminals are finding methods to produce, transport and use firearms to commit crimes, I have introduced a bill to change the definition of what is considered a firearm: S9456. This bill was approved yesterday by the Senate and the Assembly and will become law with the Governor signature. There is a gray area in the current laws as to what is considered a firearm, and we frequently see, for example, the transportation and use of the so-called “Ghost Guns'' in our state. Companies separately manufacture the components to build a gun and they are then sold and assembled by criminals who disrupt our peace and victimize our families. With this new law, "any component that provides housing or a structure designed to house or integrate any fire control component that is designed to expel a projectile by explosive action or that can be readily converted to do so" would be considered a firearm. 

As I have said repeatedly, illegal firearms that enter New York State and are used to kill our people are not manufactured here. These firearms cannot be traced and have no purpose other than to violate the law, hurt our families and consequently become a method of generating money from crime. Therefore, this bill will tackle the biggest problem we have in our communities; Ghost Guns.