The California chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action released the following statement after the California Assembly Public Safety Committee voted to advance AB 1621, legislation to address the scourge of ghost guns in the state of California by ensuring that component parts and kits used to construct them cannot be sold until they are treated as firearms under federal law. Mia Tretta, a California Students Demand Action volunteer and gun violence survivor who introduced President Biden last week at the White House when he announced a new federal rule to address ghost guns, testified in support of the bill. AB 1621 will now go to the Appropriations Committee.
“Today’s vote won’t bring my best friend back,” said Mia Tretta, a volunteer with Students Demand Action in California. “It won’t erase the damage done by the shooting that changed my life forever. But it’s a necessary step to prevent more tragedies like the one I experienced at the hands of a shooter armed with a ghost gun. We applaud the Public Safety Committee for taking this vital step today.”
Today’s hearing comes amid calls from advocates and leaders for action on ghost guns at the state level and follows a major win for gun violence prevention when the Biden-Harris Administration finalized a rule last week that will require ghost guns to be treated like the deadly weapons they are. The final rule updates the definitions of “firearm” and “frame or receiver” to cover kits and components easily assembled into untraceable ghost guns.
In an average year, nearly 3,160 people die by gun violence in California and over 6,843 more are wounded. More information about gun violence in California is available here.
