The gun scourge

To the editor:

Thursday we watched the funeral for NYPD Officer Adeed Fayaz, who was tragically shot in the head by a would-be robber. There are so many illegal guns in the hands of criminals, home grown terrorists and the mentally ill that every NYC resident has to assume that every person who confronts him or her is likely to have a gun and is willing to use it.  

This tragedy will keep happening for police officers and residents of NYC, and will probably occur more frequently unless the federal government takes strong steps to eliminate illegal guns, especially ghost guns. Unfortunately, Congress is not willing to take effective steps to reduce guns on our streets. Too many members of Congress are not willing to challenge the NRA and the millions of Americans who want to possess and carry guns, including guns of war, AR-15s and AK-47s.  

In spite of strict gun laws in NYC there is a booming underground market for guns in the city, and it's very easy to buy guns illegally.  

After the Supreme Court ruled that the Second Amendment protected gun rights federally (Columbia v. Heller), and extended it to the states (McDonald v. the City of Chicago), New York and other states have had an impossible task keeping guns out of the hands of criminals and terrorists. Almost all state limitations on the right to own and carry guns wind up in court with plaintiffs supported by the NRA. The gun lobby has invested millions of dollars to get judges opposed to gun safety laws confirmed to federal courts, most recently to the Supreme Court.  

Ghost guns, parts of which can be bought online for as little as $50 and assembled at home by people who might not be able to legally buy or own a gun, are untraceable. 

A ghost gun machine can be purchased for about $1,200. Cody Wilson’s Ghost Gunner milling machine that makes the crucial element of an assault rifle costs $1,500, and has a waiting list to buy it. 

Ghost gun dealers have already found ways around the Biden administration’s attempts to curb the sale of homemade, untraceable guns. The restrictions on ghost gun kits are easily evaded by dealers, who are simply selling ghost gun parts for sale. Until and unless Congress is willing to pass tough and effective gun legislation, guns in the hands of criminals, terrorists and other dangerous people will proliferate. No one is safe, anywhere. 

Michael Gorman