Cuomo proposes NY ban on buying gun components online

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) released a proposal on Thursday that if signed into law would ban the purchase of firearm parts online.

Cuomo said in a press release that the proposal would ban so-called untraceable guns, or firearms that are manufactured without going through a formal seller.

“New York has the strongest gun safety protections in the nation, but every day dangerous people seek to find new ways around them,” Cuomo said. “This common sense measure would ban these untraceable guns and require anyone who wants to build their own firearm to come out of the shadows once and for all.”

In the press release, the governor pointed specifically to what are known as “80 percent kits,” which contain the parts for approximately 80 percent of a usable firearm with instructions for creating the remaining materials at home.

“These kits allow people who would otherwise be prohibited from purchasing a gun to obtain various components and build a gun at home. These do-it-yourself firearms do not contain serial numbers, making them untraceable by authorities,” reads the news release. “In 2019, the number of individuals using these untraceable guns in New York increased significantly; dozens have been seized by law enforcement across the state.”

Cuomo is a vocal opponent of President Trump, a native New Yorker and frequent critic of his home state’s government, and in December the governor drew headlines by barring federal judges from performing marriages with the rationale that he could not justify the expanding power of Trump’s nominees.