WASHINGTON — In a continued effort to address the secondary “zombie gun” market, U.S. Rep. Jill Tokuda, D-Hawaii, introduced new legislation last week aimed at helping local law enforcement agencies take care of gun disposal in house.

What You Need To Know

  • For firearms to be considered legally destroyed, only one piece, like the receiver or frame, needs to be crushed or otherwise destroyed. Some private companies, like industry leader Gun Busters, then take the remaining functional parts and sell them as part of build-it-yourself kits used to make untraceable “ghost” guns
  • The Restoring Trust in Public Safety Act would establish a $15 million grant program to help state, tribal and local governments and law enforcement agencies purchase equipment, hire staff and conduct training to ensure the safe and complete destruction of firearms and firearm parts in their possession
  • In March, Tokuda co-sponsored the Destroy Zombie Guns Act, which would require gun-disposal companies to destroy the entire firearm, not just a single piece

Most guns that are retired, seized or bought back by law-enforcement agencies are sent to private gun-disposal companies to be destroyed. However, for the firearms to be considered legally destroyed, only one piece, like the receiver or frame, needs to be crushed or otherwise destroyed. Some companies, like industry leader Gun Busters, then take the remaining functional parts and sell them as part of build-it-yourself kits used to make untraceable “ghost” guns.

The Restoring Trust in Public Safety Act would establish a $15 million grant program to help state, tribal and local governments and law enforcement agencies purchase equipment, hire staff and conduct training to ensure the safe and complete destruction of firearms and firearm parts in their possession. 

“Bottom line, there are too many guns and weapons on our streets and terrorizing our communities,” Tokuda said. “This bill gives our law enforcement agencies the resources to 100% destroy firearms that are seized, surrendered, or retired, and seeks to remove their reliance on gun disposal companies who have profited off a lack of government funding for proper disposal. This widespread practice of gun recycling is becoming a lucrative industry in our country that only further proliferates the spread of ghost guns in our communities.”

In March, Tokuda co-sponsored the Destroy Zombie Guns Act, which would require gun-disposal companies to destroy the entire firearm, not just a single piece.

“It is imperative that law enforcement have the resources to ensure they can safely and completely dispose of firearms recovered in crime without unwittingly supplying the criminal market with firearm components and accessories,” said Mark Collins, director of federal policy for the gun-control organization Brady. “Brady is grateful to Representative Tokuda for introducing legislation to provide law enforcement agencies with the funds to facilitate responsible firearm destruction so we can ensure the life cycle of a firearm ends once law enforcement seeks to dispose of it.”

Tokuda has previously said that local and federal law enforcement have reported growing numbers of ghost guns and unassembled gun parts in Hawaii.

Michael Tsai covers local and state politics for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at michael.tsai@charter.com.