PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Pennsylvania’s largest gun show producer has agreed to stop selling kits to make so-called ghost guns. This comes after state officials showed that kits purchased at one of its shows in Berks County put fully operational guns in the hands of felons in Philadelphia within hours.
"This is a significant step," Attorney General Josh Shapiro said at a Monday news conference announcing the agreement with Eagle Arms Productions. "It is the first time we are aware of in this nation that a gun show operator has partnered with law enforcement to stop the sale of these dangerous 80% receiver kits."
The kits derive their name from offering 80% of a complete gun. Because they’re inoperable without additional parts, they aren’t legally considered firearms and thus can be purchased without a background check. After they are assembled, they have no serial number. Those two features make them particularly attractive to people who can’t legally buy guns and those who are planning to use them for illegal activity.
"They’re untrackable, and they are untraceable, and they are becoming the weapon of choice for criminals on the streets of Philadelphia," Shapiro said, noting that his office seized fewer than 100 of the guns in 2019 and has already seized 80 in the first two months of this year.
The guns are illegal in Philadelphia, under legislation sponsored by City Councilmember Kenyatta Johnson and signed by Mayor Jim Kenney earlier this year.
State Sen. Vincent Hughes has co-sponsored legislation that would classify them with regular guns in Pennsylvania, making it possible to regulate sales.
In the meantime, Shapiro says Eagle Arms' voluntary ban on selling the kits is significant because the company operates a third of the gun shows in Pennsylvania. He estimates that more than 6,000 of the kits were sold at its shows, this year alone.
"Eagle Arms heard the cries of our lawmakers and law enforcement and most of all they heard the cries of concerned families," Shapiro said.
He added he hopes other gun show operators will follow suit.
An Eagle Arms official declined comment except to say he thinks the ban "is a good thing."