FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, September 23, 2021

CONTACT:
MayorPress@sandiego.gov

Video Link to Ordinance Signing: https://youtu.be/f8XaSfVnqx0

SAN DIEGO To help address increasing gun violence and the rapid proliferation of ghost guns in the City, Mayor Todd Gloria signed an ordinance today authored by City Councilmember Marni von Wilpert officially banning ghost guns in the City of San Diego.

San Diego has seen a dramatic increase in gun violence across our city using ghost guns. These guns are untraceable and can end up in the hands of people prohibited from having firearms making them a threat to public safety, Mayor Todd Gloria said. Addressing the proliferation of ghost guns aligns with my commitment to have San Diego lead on gun violence prevention. I want to thank Councilmember von Wilpert for bringing this ordinance forward and the City Council for supporting it.

The ordinance, known as Eliminate Non-serialized Untraceable Firearm (E.N.U.F.) Ordinance, prohibits the possession, purchase, sale, receipt and transportation of non-serialized, unfinished frames and receivers, and non-serialized firearms, all of which are commonly known as ghost guns.

Thank you to Mayor Gloria for standing with me to protect our communities from gun violence by signing the ENUF Ordinance into law for the City of San Diego. said Councilmember von Wilpert. The spread of untraceable ghost guns is fueling gun violence in our City and I thank the Mayor for his commitment to keep firearms out of the hands of people who pose danger to our communities.

Ghost guns, also known as do it yourself guns, are homemade, personally manufactured firearms that do not have commercial serial numbers. These guns are untraceable due to the lack of identifying markings and therefore can evade state and federal regulations that apply to firearms such as background checks.

In 2020, San Diego saw a 169% increase in the number of ghost guns retrieved and impounded compared to the previous year. This year, San Diego has already surpassed the number of ghost guns impounded in all of 2019 and 2020, with the expected number of ghost guns recovered by the San Diego Police Department (SDPD) to double by the end of this year. The vast majority of ghost guns recovered by SDPD are seized from people who cannot pass state or federal background checks because of a criminal conviction involving a felony, violent misdemeanor, and from persons who are prohibited due to mental illness.

With the Mayors signature, the E.N.U.F. Ordinance will go into effect on October 23, 2021.

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