Chicago Aldermen continue fight to make ghost guns illegal in Illinois
CHICAGO (CBS)-- The fight to make ghost guns illegal in the state of Illinois continues.
Chicago aldermen called on the Illinois General Assemble to pass the bill on Tuesday. There is a push to make ghost guns illegal in Illinois – with more and more of them showing up in Chicago every year.
Ghost guns can be made with a 3-D printer and an at-home kit. They are untraceable, unserialized, and dangerous.
According to information from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the number of ghost guns - or privately made firearms - is going up every year. Ghost guns are also tied to 325 homicides or attempted homicides nationwide since 2016.
In Chicago, police confiscated 455 ghost guns last year - more than twice the number confiscated in New York City. Nationwide, in 2019, law enforcement discovered 10,000 ghost guns.
Ten states – California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Virginia, and Washington state, and also the District of Columbia – already have laws against ghost guns on the books.
That is why Illinois state Rep. Kam Buckner (D-Chicago), says the bill he introduced Friday is so important. "Other states are already regulating these firearms, and it's Illinois' time to do the same," Buckner said. "This is commonsense legislation."
Aldermen talked about the accessibility.
"I've seen them recovered in communities like Brighton Park and Back of the Yards, where gang members know they can order it as easy as they can order from amazon," Ald. Raymond Lopez said.
Ald. Christopher Taliaferro (29th Ward) said he supports the legislation because he stands "in support of anyone that's willing to advocate on behalf of reducing violence in this great city."
"My biggest fear is having one of my children die to gun violence. So we have to stand up and speak and also take action," Cardona said.
These types of guns are not only are untraceable, they have no serial number and a background check is not required.
The aldermen said they are working on their own resolution on the local level.
