CRESTWOOD, Ky. — New rules from the Department of Justice on “ghost guns” are causing concerns for people who build firearms as a hobby.
What You Need To Know
- The Biden administration announced several steps to combat ghost guns
- The firearms are 80% complete and must be finished by consumers
- A new rule requires ghost gun purchasers to undergo a background check
- Ghost guns will now have to be marked with serial numbers
Perry Cooke was 8-years-old when he first built a firearm. It's a passion he said could be in jeopardy with the new laws going into effect.
It took Cooke four hours to drill, mill, and craft his gun to perfection.
He said it’s no simple task and that it takes knowledge and skill, but that the finished product is always worth it.
“I have a lot of fun going out to my buddy farm and knocking down cans and shooting targets and doing some of the old closed core training that we did in the military,” says Cooke.
Cooke is a co-owner of Genesys Tactical, a gun shop owned and operated by military veterans that sells ghost guns.
A ghost gun is a firearm that is 80% complete. The other 20% has to be finished by the consumer.
The army veteran supports a new rule from the Justice Department that requires those looking to buy a kit to undergo a background check.
“I think we should do our due diligence to make sure that criminals or people that should not own these firearms should be stopped from being able to get something that they could turn into a firearm,” says Cooke.
The rule also requires ghost guns to be marked with serial numbers, and that’s where Cooke raises concerns.
“When it comes to tracking, tracing serializing, and all that kind of stuff, I just it's government overreach for sure,” Cooke alleged.
Cooke believes adding serial numbers, which can be removed by criminals, will only give a false sense of security.
“Someone who is going to steal bubblegum is going to be likely to steal something else. Another law, another sign, is not going to stop them,” said Cooke. "It'll end up just being a hurdle for someone who is a law-abiding citizen who's a hobbyist."
Adding serial numbers won’t stop what he believes is the real problem: Straw purchases, or people buying firearms for those who can not purchase guns themselves.
He said having more resources from government agencies that conduct background checks is the solution.
“What needs to happen is the agencies need to work better together and information passed more quickly so those types of things are stopped,” said Cooke.
Cooke said his team is doing its part to keep guns out of the wrong hands by building relationships with its customers and denying purchases to those who may have ill intentions.