“Here is the perfect example for why this (ghost gun) rule was needed,” said David Chipman, the Biden administration’s first nominee to head the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives. “I think you would be hard-pressed to find an argument against a (serial number) requirement based on what happened in New York.”
Jim Pasco, executive director of the Fraternal Order of Police, said the James case is a striking illustration of the need for regulation of untraceable firearms amid spiraling violent crime.
Law enforcement officials have long expressed concern about the rise in crimes involving ghost guns. Last year, about 20,000 such weapons were recovered in criminal investigations, a tenfold increase from 2016, the Justice Department found. …
William Bratton, a former New York City Police commissioner, said the quick trace of the Glock 17 pistol allegedly used by James “clearly represents an argument” for the new regulations.
— Kevin Johnson in Brooklyn subway shooting suspect was traced to firearm. Is it a case for Biden’s ghost gun regulations?
