The Springfield Police Department (SPD) seized six (6) ghost guns in 2020. That number jumped up to 26 in 2021. This year SPD have already recovered 10 ghost guns. Ghost guns can be made through kits and 3-D printers and because of that, there are no serial codes on them to trace. The Springfield Police Department showcased two ghost guns that had been recovered with one of them equipped with a 27 round magazine.
Ghost guns are firearms that do not contain a serial number and are therefore untraceable. They are typically purchased as a kit to be assembled or printed on a 3D-printer.
Mayor Sarno states, “I want to commend State Representative Carlos Gonzalez, House Chair for the Committee on Public Safety, for his leadership on working with Everytown for Gun Safety to pass state legislation that will help address this public safety issue of ghost guns in our community. Under Police Superintendent Cheryl Clapprood’s leadership, our brave and dedicated men and women of the Springfield Police Department continue to seize a record number of illegal firearms off our streets and out of our neighborhoods – we need our courts to back us up. We desperately need to update our state gun laws to reflect the crimes that repeat criminal offenders are committing with these ghost guns. We need our courts to take these gun crimes seriously, we can have all the laws passed but if our courts do not back up our law enforcement efforts it won’t matter what laws are passed. Only by working together with our local law enforcement agencies and having the support of our courts with strong laws on the books to hold these repeat criminal offenders accountable for possession of illegal gun(s)/ghost guns can we truly make a difference and enhance the quality of life and public safety for our residents and business community.”
“Ghost Guns are becoming more and more prevalent making them easier to get in the wrong hands putting our officers and members of our community in danger. Mayor Sarno and I have been advocating to regulate these self-assembled firearms at some level because far too often we are seeing gun violence committed by individuals possessing Ghost Guns. Having the ability to purchase a firearm this way totally skirts the gun laws put into place by the Massachusetts Legislature. To address this growing trend I will support Rep. Gonzalez with any legislation that would help reduce senseless gun violence at the same time putting an emphasis on enforcing the strong gun laws we already have in this Commonwealth,” said Springfield Police Superintendent Cheryl Clapprood.
Representative Gonzalez serves as the House Chair of the Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security, which has been working on legislation to address the issue of ghost guns. “Ghost guns pose a significant public safety threat to the citizens and law enforcement of Springfield and every other city across the country”, said Representative Gonzalez. “The Biden Administration has recently made a rule on ghost guns, and we must do all we can at the state level to ensure that we are keeping the people of Massachusetts as safe as possible. The proposed legislation hopes to reduce the amount of illegal guns plaguing our streets in Massachusetts.”
