Cephas and Kenyatta bill would protect residents from ‘ghost guns’
Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta March 31, 2023 | 10:03 AM
HARRISBURG, March 31 – In an effort to protect the safety of all Pennsylvanians and provide the commonwealth’s law enforcement officials the tools that they need to protect residents, state Reps. Morgan Cephas and Malcom Kenyatta, both D-Phila., introduced House Bill 777, that would ban the manufacturing, sale, and possession of ‘ghost gun’ parts in the commonwealth.
“Without necessary regulations of these firearms, individuals ineligible to possess firearms under state and federal law would easily be able to get their hands on these deadly weapons,” Cephas said. “We urge support for this Gun Ghost legislation in order to ensure the safety of our friends, families and neighbors. We must ban the production and distribution of these firearms.”
Kenyatta explained that while these devices should already be illegal under current federal law, it falls on members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives to act and protect Pennsylvanians from the danger these firearms pose to public safety.
“Ghost guns are one of the main drives of gun crimes in our city — they are unaccountable and too frustratingly simple to obtain,” Kenyatta said. “Putting an end to the gun violence crisis in our city means getting serious about ghost guns. Ending the runaway gun crimes on our streets is my number one priority. Now is the time to get these weapons out of our community.”
Rep. Cephas has also introduced House Bill 776, which would ban undetectable firearms, such as 3D-printed firearms.
Unlike traditional firearms, 3D-printed firearms are completely undetectable by traditional security measures. In addition to being undetectable, they are being printed without serial numbers, making them nearly impossible to trace.