Kansas is a pretty pro-gun state. They’re generally not interested in anything to do with gun control. Despite that, though, some there want to push through a “ghost gun” ban, even ahead of new federal rules surrounding unserialized firearms.

And, unsurprisingly, they’re meeting opposition.

Unregistered build-it-yourself firearms have been used in at least two high-profile crimes in the Kansas City metro this year.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives recently announced new rules to try to regulate ghost guns. Lawmakers in Kansas may be taking that even further.

“There was a shooting at my son’s school a couple months ago at Olathe East,” said Kansas state Sen. Cindy Holscher.

Holscher the ghost gun issue hits close to home.

“Very shortly into the investigation, the district attorney revealed that a ghost gun was involved, and he very quickly called on the legislature to do something about that situation,” Holscher said.

…

“(It’s) killing a gnat with a sledgehammer,” said attorney Kevin Jamison, a gun rights advocate.

Jamison said these laws will likely just discourage those who enjoy legally making their own firearms as a hobby.

“People have been able to build their own guns since the time of the pilgrim fathers,” he said.

Jamison said it will not stop criminals from getting guns.

“They’re not accomplishing anything as far as criminals go. I mean, the idea that a criminal is going to put a serial number on a gun he makes in his basement is ridiculous,” he said.

Right?

Now, understand, I think the odds of this actually passing in Kansas are pretty low. How low? I think you’ve got a better chance of stacking chairs to the moon in Kansas than you do of seeing this bill actually pass.

Kansas is a pro-gun state. They’re not likely to freak out due to “ghost gun” hysteria, which is really all that’s motivating this bill.

There was one shooting. Yes, it’s awful and tragic and all of that, but it’s still one shooting.

When we examine the context where these guns are, we find that they don’t really account for all that much in the way of violent crime. We’re talking 365 homicides from 2016 to 2021. It’s not a real issue. Not really.

And most lawmakers in Kansas either get that or understand that their constituents get it. They’re not going to vote for this kind of insanity and we all know it.

That’s the good news.

The bad news is that there are still people who want to try and ban so-called ghost guns simply because they can’t be controlled. It really tells you everything you need to know about these folks, doesn’t it? They want to control what you can and cannot buy and won’t tolerate anything that allows you to get a gun without saying, “Mother may I?” to the NICS system.

Sorry, but I’m glad this bill is meeting opposition and I’m glad it’s going to go down. I’m not a resident of Kansas, though I have a lot of close friends I consider family there. They deserve much better than this nonsense.