Feds must regulate ‘ghost guns’ made from untraceable components, physicians say

Author(s):

Richard Payerchin

Key Takeaways

Ghost guns, easily assembled and untraceable, are increasingly used by criminals, posing a public health threat.
Medical groups support federal regulation requiring licensing, serial numbers, and background checks for ghost gun manufacturers.
AMA President Bruce A. Scott highlights the trauma faced by victims and healthcare providers due to ghost gun violence.
The AMA and other medical organizations advocate for commonsense regulations to enhance public safety and reduce firearm violence.

Untraceable “ghost guns” are part of the public health threat of firearms and the federal government should have power to regulate them.

Medical groups including the American Medical Association have joined on a court brief supporting federal rule supporting the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives on regulation of ghost guns, or firearms assembled from parts sold individually or in kits. The rule would require gun makers to get licenses, mark gun parts with serial numbers, conduct background checks, and keep transfer records, according to the doctors’ filing.

Those requirements already are in place for other firearm manufacturers, and the rule does not ban the guns, prohibit ownership of firearms or otherwise infringe on Second Amendment rights, said AMA President Bruce A. Scott, MD. He published a commentary on the case known as Garland v. VanDerStok, which will be on the U.S. Supreme Court’s docket for oral arguments on Oct. 8.

“Ghost guns have rapidly become the weapon of choice for criminals, minors and others legally barred from owning firearms. Why? Because these weapons – easily assembled from inexpensive kits and components that are widely available online – are untraceable by law enforcement,” he wrote.

For ghost gun sales, either business is booming or seizures are. In 2016, federal law enforcement agencies tallied 1,758 seizures of those firearms. That figure skyrocketed to 25,785 in 2022, with state and local law enforcement also reporting increases, Scott wrote.

And physicians get involved treating horrific wounds and witnessing grieving families and lifelong trauma that shooting survivors must deal with, he said.

“The pressing need to keep us all safe from the senseless firearm violence that plagues our nation drives AMA advocacy on this issue,” Scott wrote. “Applying the same regulations to gun kit manufacturers that have applied for decades to makers and dealers of traditional firearms is a prime example of the commonsense measures the majority of Americans already support.”

Along with the AMA, other medical groups supporting the measure are the Texas Medical Association, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Emergency Physicians, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American College of Preventive Medicine, and the American Geriatrics Society.

AMA has supported extreme-risk protection order legislation, enacted in 21 states and the District of Columbia, to allow civil court orders blocking gun ownership or possession by people at high risk of hurting themselves or others. The Association also has created an education module to help physicians identify and counsel patients at high risk of firearm injury or death, Scott said.