SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — San Diego City Council leaders on Monday approved a proposal to ban ghost gun kit sales from the city.
City leaders voted 8-1, with councilmember Chris Cate as the lone "no" vote, to approve a proposal that makes it illegal for unserialized gun kits to be sold in San Diego, including sales made both online and in stores.
The proposal, called the E.N.U.F (Eliminate Non-Serialized Untraceable Firearm) Ordinance, will "prohibit the possession, purchase, sale, receipt, and transportation of non-serialized, unfinished frames and unfinished receivers, and non-serialized firearms within the City of San Diego." It was introduced last month by councilmember Marni Von Wilpert.
In a statement following the vote, Von Wilpert said, "The spread of untraceable ‘ghost guns’ is fueling gun violence in our city and today’s vote will help keep firearms out of the hands of people who pose danger to our communities—including violent criminals, domestic abusers, individuals suffering from mental illness, and terrorists."
Cate, who voted "no," said during the meeting, "this law does nothing to prevent mass shootings. This law does nothing to hold criminals accountable. This law does nothing to make us safer."
The proposal will come back to the City Council for a second reading on Sept. 14 before going into effect.
RELATED: Proposal to ban ghost guns in San Diego
According to San Diego Police, this year, ghost guns are becoming a larger problem in San Diego. A report in June indicated that SDPD officers seized 77 ghost guns in 2019 and that number jumped to 211 in 2020. But by the end of 2021, police project the number to be double last year's total.
"It’s difficult for officers to go to scene where someone’s been shot … and find out it was a ghost gun that was so easy to obtain," San Diego Police Chief David Nisleit said in July.
Kits that are used to make ghost guns are typically 80 percent finished and the buy completes the run of the gun. The guns have no serial number and a person is supposed to apply for them through the Department of Justice.
Von Wilpert said last month the goal of the ordinance is to stop these types of unserialized parts from even entering the city.
Michael Schwartz, Executive Director of the San Diego County Gun Owners PAC, called the ordinance unnecessary and said the state already prohibits anyone from owning an unserialized firearm.
