Media Contact
Damien Sharp
The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments today on whether the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) should be barred from enforcing its 2022 rule regulating “ghost guns” as firearms.
Max Kapustsin, professor at Cornell University’s Brooks School of Public Policy, studies ways interventions improve the life outcomes of disadvantaged youth and adults in U.S. cities, particularly ways to reduce their exposure to violence. He says ghost guns pose a serious threat as the number of them recovered nationally continues to rise.
Max Kapustin
Assistant professor of policy analysis and management
“The number of privately manufactured firearms, or ghost guns, used in crimes and recovered by police has grown a lot in recent years. According to the ATF, almost 20,000 ghost guns were recovered nationally in 2021, a 160% increase from 2019.
“In one study of all guns recovered in Oakland, CA, the share of ghost guns rose from around 1% in 2017 to almost 25% in 2021. These ghost guns were 33% more likely to be recovered in a violent crime than a non-violent crime.
“There is no question that ghost guns are firearms, capable of inflicting serious harm. And because they lack a serial number and can be purchased without going to a licensed dealer who may run a background check, ghost guns are particularly attractive to people who are not legally allowed to buy guns.”
