San Diego has had ENUF

Ghost gun ban is officially in effect

SPENCER BISPHAM / CONTRIBUTOR / THE USD VISTA

San Diego’s new law, the Eliminate Non-serialized Untraceable Firearms (ENUF) ordinance, is now in effect. This law prohibits the purchase or possession of “ghost guns’’ within city limits. Ghost guns are described as guns that cannot be traced and can be built at home from parts without serial numbers. These guns make up one in four firearms seized by police, according to NBC news. With the ordinance now standing, people who assemble these weapons need to file for a serial number with the Department of Justice within 10 days of purchase to eliminate the gun’s untraceable status. 

According to The Trace, the first ghost gun successfully made was a 3D-printed, fully-functioning pistol designed by a man named Cody Wilson back in 2013. Since then, accessibility to ghost guns has grown immensely: firearm assembly kits and 3D-blueprints are now available for purchase on commercial websites and in stores. This ban comes after a steady increase in ghost guns being involved in criminal activity; the San Diego mayor’s office reported a 169 percent increase in the number of ghost guns seized over the past year. 

For USD sophomore, Jessica Fernandez, a complete ban on ghost guns makes sense.

“I just think they’re [ghost guns] a loophole around gun regulation,” Fernandez said. “It’s there for a reason and it’s already really easy to get a gun in America so I don’t know why you’d try to get around that. You’re just putting everyone else’s safety and wellbeing at risk, especially since these guns are accessible to those with ‘evil’ in their hearts.”

City Councilwoman, Marni von Wilpert, introduced the ban several months ago after a ghost gun was used to kill Justice Bolden, 28, and wound four others in the Gaslamp Quarter last April. Wilpert said that the regulation of ghost guns is an important step in the process of lowering rising gun violence throughout San Diego.

Another sophomore at USD, Sofia Hart, agreed with von Wilpert that more regulation of firearms here in the city is needed. 

“I think it’s absolutely necessary that there’s gun control,” Hart said. “You can still have your gun, it’s just going to ensure that people who shouldn’t have their hands on guns don’t get them. They need to be regulated because some people, many people, die and it’s not safe.”

According to the Pew Research Center, about 53 percent of Americans are in favor of stricter gun regulation, such as background checks and safety training. Neither are currently required to purchase a ghost gun or file for a serial number, even under the ENUF law’s restrictions. Even so, some San Diegans consider the new ordinance to be a violation of their second amendment rights.

The two closest gun stores to USD’s campus, Discount Gun Mart and The Gun Range San Diego, both declined to comment on the ENUF ordinance. Instead, they referred to the organization San Diego County Gun Owners for clarification of their stance on the new law. The organization was also unavailable for comment, but their website provided resources that explained the frustration of local gun owners. 

Raymond DiGuiseppe, an attorney representing individual gun owners in San Diego, criticized the ENUF ordinance as reported by Courthouse News Service. 

“The reality is it attacks a host of constitutionally recognized conduct the state recognizes,” DiGuiseppe said. “People can still do that everywhere except the city of San Diego. They can manufacture guns with un-serialized parts and apply for a serial number with the state. Nobody is asking to have ghost guns — people are asking for serialized numbers, and they will be traceable.”

John Dillon, an attorney representing the San Diego County Gun Owners PAC, also stated that the new law is contradictory in the same article.

“The city may have good intentions in what it’s trying to prevent,” Dillon said. “It actually prevents lawful conduct with the state regulatory scheme.”

As of now, the ENUF ordinance is in full effect, with violators facing fines and/or jail time. San Diego County will continue to monitor gun violence statistics to see whether or not it is truly making a difference.