The Del Mar gun show has had issues in recent years, but none from their own doings. No, its issues come purely from external sources. In particular, the anti-gun jihadists that have declared a holy war against the show for having the temerity to sell legal products to law-abiding adults who wish to exercise rights that those jihadists don’t approve of.
Well, the anti-gunners are at it again. Now, they want to ban sales of their favorite boogieman of the moment, “ghost guns.”
Thousands will be heading to the Crossroads of the West Gun Show this weekend in Del Mar, where one of the most popular items for sale is a type of untraceable, unregistered firearm known as a “ghost gun.”
Now, San Diego gun control activists are pushing to ban them from the event.
Solana Beach City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to support this resolution banning the sale of ghost guns on the Del Mar fairgrounds.
According to law enforcement, nearly half of all guns used in recent crimes in Southern California involved these ghost guns, which have no serial numbers, and do not require background checks, or a waiting period.
While there’s legislation in the works to crack down on their sales, that will not go into effect until 2024. Local gun control activists though, want to take action now, and are focusing their fight here on the gun show on the Del Mar fairgrounds.
“It really is the hidden loophole that not a lot of people know about,” said Solana Beach city council member Kelly Harless.
Except, no one is selling “ghost guns” at the gun show.
You see, licensed dealers don’t sell so-called ghost guns. They’re required to record serial numbers for all firearms they deal with, something these ghost guns wouldn’t have.
If they’re selling anything, they’re selling lawful gun parts including less than 80 percent complete lower receivers. These aren’t regulated, but they’re not “ghost guns” either. They’re items that the ATF doesn’t classify as a firearm.
More importantly, though, is that there’s no way to regulate unfinished receivers. A block of aluminum can be an unfinished receiver to an industrious sort of person, after all. Someone with the right tooling and expertise can use that block to build an AR-15 or AK-47 lower receiver and the ATF be absolutely clueless on the subject.
Which is why this hysteria over “ghost guns” is so stupid.
It should be noted that these 80 percent lowers have been around for decades at this point and it’s only now “becoming a problem.” At least this story give us something to evaluate the issue for ourselves. However, it’s still short on details.
Regardless, though, what you’re likely to find at the Del Mar gun show isn’t going to be a slew of ghost guns. People who come in looking for them will be sorely disappointed. Contrary to what many think, the vast majority of gun sales will be from licensed dealers. Those dealers have laws to follow and those laws include no completed “ghost guns” being sold.
Not that the opponents of the show care about facts or anything.
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