https://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2020/08/26/us/26reuters-usa-guns-ghostguns.html
Chicago and three other cities on Wednesday sued the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), demanding it correct how it interprets what is a firearm and halt the sale of untraceable "ghost gun" kits increasingly used in crimes.
The lawsuit argues the ATF and the Department of Justice "refuse to apply the clear terms of the Gun Control Act," which the suit says defines regulated firearms as not only working weapons "but also their core building blocks - frames for pistols, and receivers for long guns."
"The ATF used to interpret the Gun Control Act the right way - they would look at how quickly a frame or receiver could be converted into an operable weapon," said Eric Tirschwell, managing director for the litigation arm of Everytown. "If it was pretty quickly, they would say 'yeah, that's a firearm.'"
But Rick Vasquez, a Virginia-based firearms consultant and former ATF technical expert who evaluated guns and gun products to help the bureau determine if they were legal, said anyone wanting to address the proliferation of kit guns should pass new laws in Congress.
The continued rapid advancement of tools and technology widely available to the public meant it was getting to the point where even rudimentary "chunks of metal" can be turned into firearms, Vasquez said.
"How do you regulate that? The ATF can't do it. This situation is uncontrollable because of technology, and I'm not sure what anyone can do about it."
Chicago and three other cities on Wednesday sued the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), demanding it correct how it interprets what is a firearm and halt the sale of untraceable "ghost gun" kits increasingly used in crimes.
The lawsuit argues the ATF and the Department of Justice "refuse to apply the clear terms of the Gun Control Act," which the suit says defines regulated firearms as not only working weapons "but also their core building blocks - frames for pistols, and receivers for long guns."
"The ATF used to interpret the Gun Control Act the right way - they would look at how quickly a frame or receiver could be converted into an operable weapon," said Eric Tirschwell, managing director for the litigation arm of Everytown. "If it was pretty quickly, they would say 'yeah, that's a firearm.'"
But Rick Vasquez, a Virginia-based firearms consultant and former ATF technical expert who evaluated guns and gun products to help the bureau determine if they were legal, said anyone wanting to address the proliferation of kit guns should pass new laws in Congress.
The continued rapid advancement of tools and technology widely available to the public meant it was getting to the point where even rudimentary "chunks of metal" can be turned into firearms, Vasquez said.
"How do you regulate that? The ATF can't do it. This situation is uncontrollable because of technology, and I'm not sure what anyone can do about it."
