The mass shooting in Southwest Philadelphia’s Kingsessing neighborhood last week was the deadliest in the city in almost 25 years1 – 5 people were killed and 2 children were injured in a horror that put PA on the national news for all the wrong reasons. Chilling new reports reveal that both weapons used — an AR-15-style rifle and a 9mm handgun — were “ghost guns”.2
Ghost guns are unserialized and untraceable firearms that can be bought online and assembled at home from kits.3 Ghost guns are designed to evade gun laws: they are able to be purchased without a background check, are untraceable, and are increasingly used by people barred from legally obtaining a firearm.
Philadelphia-based State Representatives Morgan Cephas and Malcom Kenyatta have introduced legislation to tackle the growing threat of ghost guns and we need your help to move this bill forward. Send a message now to urge your State Representatives to cosponsor this life-saving legislation.
HB 777 would ban the manufacturing, possession and sale of ghost gun parts throughout Pennsylvania.4 While federal regulations around ghost guns are tied up in legal challenges5 and dealers exploit loopholes,6 we need a clear policy at the state level to address the “alarming” rate of ghost gun seizures in Pennsylvania.7
This bill is not just a response to a recent tragedy. It is designed to make our Commonwealth safer over the long-term by keeping these untraceable weapons off of our streets.
Some of those at particularly high risk of engaging in gun violence are especially dangerous when armed with a ghost gun. If they cannot pass a background check or are prohibited from owning a gun, this back-end way to access firearms puts untraceable guns in the hands of those who should never have them.
Please take action and urge your State Representative to co-sponsor HB 777.
Sincerely, Adam Garber Executive Director CeaseFirePA Action
