Glen Cove, NY – Assemblymember Charles Lavine (D-Glen Cove) issued the following statement regarding the passage today of A02666 – the Scott J. Beigel Unfinished Receiver Act, banning the sale and possession of so-called ‘ghost guns,’ which he sponsored in the Assembly. 

“I commend my colleagues in the Assembly for passing this bill which, alongside legislation recently passed in the Senate, gives New York the strongest ‘ghost gun’ protections in the country.This bill will enhance safety to our community and our children by creating much more accountability. It is dedicated to honor Scott Beigel, who lost his life tragically trying to save his students during the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on February 14, 2018. It is intended, just as Scott intended, to save lives. With an epidemic of gun violence plaguing the United States, and in the face of Federal inaction in dealing with the crisis, it is incumbent upon the states to enact common-sense reforms that close dangerous loopholes that allow untraceable weapons to flood our communities.”

The Ghost Guns bill puts restrictions on untraceable firearms used by criminals to evade background checks by requiring that any guns made by an individual must be assigned a serial number.The serial number must be engraved by a licensed gunsmith and then reported to the Department of Criminal Justice Services.The serial number will allow law enforcement to trace the gun back to its owner. Additionally, the legislation prohibits the possession of unfinished frames or receivers without a gunsmith license; prohibits the possession of major components of a firearm, rifle, or shotgun by persons who are otherwise lawfully prohibited from possessing such weapons; and makes it illegal to sell or transfer an unfinished frame or receiver to anyone other than a licensed gunsmith.

Assemblymember Charles Lavine represents New York’s 13th Assembly District in Nassau County. He presently serves as Chair of the Judiciary Committee and is a member of the Committee on Codes, Ethics and Guidance, Rules and Insurance. Lavine previously served as Chair of the Election Law Committee, Chair of the Committee on Ethics and Guidance, co-Chair of the New York State Legislative Ethics Commission and as Chair of the bipartisan Taskforce that produced the Assembly Speaker’s Policy on Sexual Harassment, Retaliation and Discrimination.