Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak about ghost guns. They have been called the Ikea of firearms. You can order them online, and in less than an hour, have a firearm as deadly as any sold by a gun dealer. These fully functioning, untraceable firearms can be bought without a background check, and they are wreaking havoc on our communities. That is why they have become the weapon of choice for people who would otherwise be banned from purchasing a gun, including known violent offenders, gun traffickers, and increasingly, teenagers, whose digital literacy enables them to purchase ghost gun kits freely online. Prior to 2019, Philadelphia police discovered five or fewer handmade firearms per year during criminal investigations; but by 2022, 575 ghost guns turned up in investigations, and that number has only grown. Last summer, the mass shooter who killed five people in the Kingsessing neighborhood had two ghost guns in his possession when he was arrested. Recently, Delaware County was rocked when a 15-year-old killed another 15-year-old using a ghost gun. These guns are reaching into every community, including the heartland, and not just our big cities. According to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the number of ghost guns seized by law enforcement has skyrocketed in the last decade from less than 3,000 in 2017 to nearly 26,000 in 2022 alone. They have become a lucrative business for gun traffickers.…”