SAN DIEGO –
In response to the proliferation of so-called ghost weapons, the San Diego City Council on Monday approved a ban on the sale and possession of frames and firearms that do not have a serial number.
“Today we are here to take action to combat the proliferation of non-serialized and non-traceable ghost weapons, because we are already fed up,” said Councilor Marni von Wilpert, who introduced the ordinance, at Civic Center Plaza before the town hall meeting. He was accompanied by defenders of the prevention of violence with firearms, who urged the City Council to approve the measure.
In recent years, the number of ghost weapons seized by San Diego police has skyrocketed. As of Wednesday, police had seized 255 ghost weapons this year, more than the 211 ghost weapons seized in all of last year.
Phantom guns, or weapons without a serial number, often end up in the hands of criminals, gang members, or others who are legally prohibited from owning weapons.
Gun frames are legally sold in kits along with other parts. City and law enforcement officials say the parts are easily assembled and the process creates loopholes in background check requirements and state law, which requires guns to be marked with serial numbers. The state Department of Justice issues unique serial numbers to applicants who meet a number of requirements, including a background check.
Without serial numbers, law enforcement cannot trace guns when investigating crimes.
The measure, dubbed the Ordinance for the Elimination of Non-Serialized Non-locatable Firearms (ENUF, in English), prohibits the purchase, sale or possession of the structure of an unfinished weapon unless it has a serial number, which It involves treating the unfinished part as a finished firearm. An infraction would be a misdemeanor.
At the San Diego Police Department headquarters, on Wednesday, July 14, 2021, in San Diego, California, officers presented a ghost weapon that was recently confiscated this year.
(Nelvin C. Cepeda/The San Diego Union-Tribune)
–
–
The measure would not apply to disabled, old, or manufactured weapons before 1968.
Von Wilpert said it was the first ordinance of its kind in the state.
The measure was approved by 8 to 1, opposed by Councilor Chris Cate.
Cate said the potential impact of the ban on law-abiding gun owners was unclear. He said he believes the ordinance would force them to take additional steps by requesting serial numbers for the parts of the weapons, and then the final product, the firearm built from the parts.
He also questioned the effects of the ban.
“If criminals do not follow current laws, and have a plan to cause harm to others, it is completely unreasonable to believe that they will follow this new law,” Cate said.
Other council members said they felt that the council has a duty to try to protect the people of Sandieguinos from ghost weapons.
“We cannot allow criminals to have such easy access to these weapons,” said Councilor Stephen Whitburn.
Bulletin
Receive the latest news in Spanish Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
–
Subscribe to our newsletter
Occasionally, you may receive promotional content from the San Diego Union-Tribune en Español.
–
Councilor Raúl Campillo said the ordinance was reasonable and necessary. It highlighted the shooting death on April 22 of Justice Boldin, 28, a valet parking worker who was shot with a ghost pistol in an apparently unprovoked attack. Police said the alleged perpetrator is a convicted criminal who was prohibited from owning a weapon.
“(Boldin) didn’t have to die,” Campillo said.
While some community members voiced opposition to the ordinance, most urged the council to support the measure.
Stephan Abrams of Team ENOUGH, the youth branch of the national gun control organization Brady: United Against Gun Violence, recounted the time he purchased gun parts online, without a background or gun safety check, when he was 17 years, to show how accessible gun kits were.
“When I say it was as easy as buying anything else online, it really was,” he said.
Before the council meeting, Bishop Cornelius Bowser, who works on preventing gang violence, said he has heard people ask, “Do you need a gun? I can get one right now.”
“So we have to put an end to that right now,” Bowser said.
Von Wilpert staff said the ordinance is expected to return to city hall on Sept. 14 for a final vote. The ban would take effect 30 days later.
A state law that goes into effect next July will require a licensed seller to process the sale or transfer of unfinished gun frames, with in-person criminal background checks as part of the process.
Supporters of the local ordinance said it is important that San Diego and other cities take immediate action to prevent violence related to ghost weapons.
“We can’t wait a whole year to act,” Von Wilpert said.
Last month, Police Chief David Nisleit announced that the department had assembled a team of five investigators dedicated to cases of the illegal manufacture and sale of ghost weapons. Investigators can also assist other units in investigations related to phantom weapons.
–
