Ghost gun in Ohio killings is banned in CT

August 15, 2019

As we grieve over more mass shootings and look for answers out of Washington, I’m proud that our state continues to set an example. Now, if only Congress and other states would start to follow our lead.

The homemade AR-15-style pistol used in the Dayton, Ohio, killings last week was reportedly built with easily obtained legal parts and turned into a weapon of mass destruction that would have been illegal in Connecticut under the ghost gun legislation I wrote this year that became law recently.

As House chairman of the Judiciary Committee, I heard opponents of the law tell me ghost guns are not a problem and the legislation was unnecessary. Clearly, that’s not true, as recent events in Connecticut and now Ohio have proven.

Firearms known as ghost guns have no serial numbers and circumvent the state’s background-check laws, which keep guns out of the hands of felons and people with mental illnesses. The same is true for firearms made from a 3-D printer. Plus, a 3-D gun can be taken through a metal detector without being discovered.

Under the new legislation (Public Act 19-6), these homemade, military-style weapons built to kill innocent people in split seconds are now banned in Connecticut. Unscrupulous sellers of “pistol kits,” which can be easily purchased online, also can face criminal liability because of the law.

The ghost gun bill was one of three bills I wrote this year to stop the growing wave of gun violence. My hope now is that Congress and other states follow Connecticut’s lead in passing sensible gun legislation.