Twin Bills Take Aim At 'Ghost Guns' On Our Streets

TALLAHASSEE (CBSMiami) – New legislation has been filed in Tallahassee aimed at getting untraceable firearms off our streets. But even supporters of the bill admit getting the law passed will be an uphill battle.

Florida currently has no laws restricting so-called "ghost guns."

Twin bills filed in the state House and Senate are hoping to change that.

"You can go online right now. I pulled up a website this morning when I googled it. It has kits available that are 80% complete. They tell you to pay with cash so you can't be traced and no one will know who this kit is in the hands of," said Rep. Christine Hunschofsky, D-Parkland.

Ghost guns can be bought and built, even 3D printed, without a serial number or a background check.

Hunschofsky and State Sen. Tina Polsky, D-Boca Raton, introduced the bills Monday. They understand passage won't be easy.

"If we can get the police to support us, maybe we stand a chance. As opposed to assault weapons bans this does not infringe on lawful gun owners. All we ever hear is let's just enforce the legislation we have, but if they're not up to date then they're kind of useless," said Polsky.

They say this bill is about education because people don't realize how easy ghost guns are to obtain, and how that unfettered access creates a public safety threat to everyone.

And they have the support of two fathers who know what it's like to lose their children to gun violence in schools.

"This isn't about infringing on rights. This is about public safety and something where the technology has gone beyond I have hope just maybe we can get them to back this," said Fred Guttenberg, who lost his daughter Jaime in the MSD massacre.

"I want to make it clear that I don't think this is a partisan issue. I do not think this infringes on Second Amendment rights in America. I am not against gun ownership. I own guns, myself. However, they are way too easy to obtain," said Bryan Muehlberger, whose daughter Gracie was killed at school.

Previous bills aimed at banning ghost guns in Florida have all failed, including one filed in 2019.

So far nine states have outlawed ghost guns.