THIS WEEK: NSSF “SHOT Show” To Feature 27 Ghost Gun Sellers

This week, the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the firearm industry’s trade association, is hosting its annual “SHOT Show” trade show in Las Vegas, Nevada. During the event, businesses can rent floor space to exhibit products to the broader industry. A new Everytown analysis reveals that NSSF is allowing 27 ghost gun manufacturers and distributors to participate in this year’s event. 

“Untraceable ghost guns are a dream come true for criminals and extremists, and a nightmare for law enforcement,” said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety. “The fact that the firearm industry is welcoming ghost gun dealers with open arms is further evidence that they value profits over public safety.”

“A responsible industry wouldn’t give space to a company that has been raided by government agents and is facing several lawsuits, but we already knew that the firearms industry is anything but responsible,” said Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action. “Thankfully, the Biden-Harris Administration’s proposed rule will put an end to the proliferation of these deadly, untraceable firearms.” 

Ghost gun sellers at the event include Polymer80, which is currently under federal criminal investigation and facing several lawsuits over their role in manufacturing and creating a market for ghost guns, including lawsuits from the D.C. Attorney General and Los Angeles City Attorney. 

Also at the event will be Defense Distributed, which recently announced new products that proudly attempt to circumvent the upcoming finalization of the Biden-Harris Administration’s proposed rule to stop the proliferation of ghost guns by purportedly allowing for the automated creation of firearms from solid blocks of aluminum.

The NSSF should be clear about why it is featuring these businesses at their event, and whether it will continue to support the proliferation of these deadly weapons after the Biden-Harris Administration’s proposed rule on ghost guns is finalized. In May, President Joe Biden’s Department of Justice, through the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), issued a proposed rule to stop the proliferation of deadly, untraceable ghost guns –– a move that Everytown for Gun Safety first called for from the Biden-Harris Administration in December 2019. The proposed rule will strengthen the regulation over unfinished frames, receivers, and ghost gun “kits”, therefore requiring that the core parts for ghost guns be sold with a serial number and a background check.