At hearing, state legislators learn ghost gun use growing on Philly streets

In the first of three hearings set for this week, Harrisburg legislators spent Monday in Philadelphia to discuss the issue of ghost guns, determine how these kinds of firearms are used and what can be done to address concerns with them.

And, members of the House Majority Policy Committee, in a hearing hosted by State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta (D-Phila.), learned that the proliferance of ghost guns on the city's streets has grown exponentially.

Ghost guns, as they are called, are unlicensed firearms that have no serial number and cannot be traced and can be obtained by anyone without a background check. They are typically made by parts created with the use of 3D printers.

Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner was one of the first to testify on issues with ghost guns, noting the state has a wealth of laws concerning violence and murder, but needs legislation to fix a "gap" in gun laws concerning ghost guns.

"Ghost guns are technology that was designed to run through the loopholes in existing statutes in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania." said Krasner.

In addressing lawmakers, Assistant District Attorney and head of the DA's gun violence task force, Bill Fritze said about 575 ghost guns were recovered in the city in 2022.

In a statement from Rep. Kenyatta's office, the lawmaker noted the increase in use of ghost guns on Philly's streets grew by 311% from 2019 to 2022.

This proliferation of ghost guns has changed how Fritze's office works, he said, as it was initially set up to prevent straw purchasing -- the act of someone buying a firearm for an individual who is prohibited from owning them -- but now they are doing more work tackling issues with ghost guns.

"Now, we've bypassed the straw purchaser for the most part. Because, you can buy these guns as long as you have a credit card and you can ship them to your home," he said.

He said as the ATF works to combat the growing usage of ghost guns, companies are "getting smart" and shipping gun parts differently in order to continue get these unlicensed, unregistered, untraceable firearms into the hands of those who want them.

The only other individual who provided testimony on Monday was Adam Garber, the executive director of CeaseFirePA, a nonprofit gun control advocacy group. He took a moment to explain how ghost guns find their way into the hands of those who might not otherwise be able to own a firearm.

In Bucks County, a man was arrested for manufacturing ghost guns in their home, and Garber said the county's district attorney said he had "never seen as many fire arms in Bucks County in recent memory."

In Altoona, Garber claimed, a man was arrested after he made "hit kits" out of manufactured parts to create ghost guns that could be use "to execute other individuals."

"What we are fundamentally talking about is how to get ahead of the problem by stopping the sale of those ghost guns and the manufacturing illegally of them and selling into the communities, before the bodies are in the morgue, before someone is injured with lifelong injuries and before our communities are terrified," he said.

Information gathered at the day's hearing was intended to help legislators as they work to find solutions to the issue. Though, Kenyatta and State Rep. Morgan Cephas (D-Phila.) have authored a bill aimed at closing some of the loopholes in the state's gun laws concerning ghost guns. It would make it a felony to sell a firearm or firearm parts without a serial number.

Along with Monday's discussion, the State House Majority Policy Committee will hold additional hearings this week.

On Tuesday, the body will hold a discussion in Chester County on the findings of a recent Basic Education Funding Commission report, hosted by State Rep. Danielle Friel Otten (D-Chester).

Then, on Wednesday, the committee will be in Philadelphia for a hearing on minimum wage, to be hosted by State Rep. Roni Green (D-Phila.)