Newtown, Conn. – Sandy Hook Promise celebrates the U.S. Supreme Court’s 7-2 decision to uphold a federal regulation from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) that updated the official definition of a “firearm” to include “ghost guns” – weapons assembled from parts kits that can be readily assembled into fully-functional weapons.
“Ghost guns” are virtually untraceable, deadly weapons, and they have already been used in school shootings. The downloadable kits to make them at home can be purchased online as well as made using 3-D printers. They are sold without background checks and serial numbers – unlike firearms sold by licensed manufacturers or importers – and so are almost impossible to trace. “Ghost guns” are especially dangerous because they are completely accessible to people who are legally prohibited from purchasing firearms and youth who learn about them online through social media.
Mark Barden, co-founder and co-CEO of the Sandy Hook Promise Action Fund and father of Daniel, who was killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012, shared the following in response to the Court’s ruling:
“Today’s ruling is an essential step toward ensuring ‘ghost guns’ are regulated for what they are: deadly firearms that are being used to kill people in the United States, including children in our schools.
“Sandy Hook Promise strongly supports the ATF regulation upheld today, which helps to lower the risks of homemade, untraceable weapons falling into the hands of criminals and those who would harm themselves or others, including youth who shouldn’t have access to these weapons.
“We encourage all of our lawmakers to retain this effective regulation to protect our children at school, at home, and in our communities now that the Supreme Court has ruled.”
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The Sandy Hook Promise Action Fund (SHPAF) is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization committed to protecting all children from gun violence in schools, homes, and communities. The SHP Action Fund advances a holistic policy platform that promotes gun safety, youth mental health, and violence prevention education. The organization works at the state and federal level to pass nonpartisan legislation through inclusive partnerships, diverse grassroots education, and community mobilization. It is part of Sandy Hook Promise, founded and led by several family members whose loved ones were killed in the tragic mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14, 2012.
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