New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a motion today, Friday, January 13, 2023, against ten national gun distributors. The motion is for a preliminary injunction against the companies demanding that they halt sales of 'ghost gun' parts in New York State. Attorney General James is asking a federal court to step in to stop the manufacturers from selling, shipping, distributing, or supplying unfinished frames or receivers to any customers in New York.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 29: Confiscated "ghost guns" are displayed before a news conference with New York Mayor Eric Adams and Attorney General Letitia James and others to announce a new lawsuit against "ghost gun" distributors on June 29, 2022 in New York City. The city's lawsuit is against 10 distributors of gun components which are used in the illegal, and largely untraceable "ghost guns" that have significantly contributed to the violence on the streets of New York City. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

This motion is a part of Attorney General James' ongoing efforts to stop the companies from providing ghost guns to New Yorkers. Attorney General James said,

Companies that sell ghost gun parts and kits present a clear danger to all New Yorkers. These deadly weapons are unregistered, untraceable, and do not require any background check to purchase, which means they can easily end up in dangerous hands. Once again, we are taking action to stop the flow of ghost guns into New York and to protect our communities from gun violence.

City Of Buffalo Suing Gun Manufacturers And Shops Over Gun Violence Crisis

New York City is suing ghost gun distributors and the City of Buffalo is suing critical members of the gun industry in an unprecedented lawsuit. The city says the reason for the suit against key players in the gun industry is “their conduct in fueling the gun violence crisis in the City of Buffalo.” According to WIVB, Mayor Byron Brown said the suit targets gun manufacturers, distributors, and local gun shops, including companies Glock, Beretta, Remington, and Smith & Wesson.

New York State Tops List Of Places With Most Trafficked Guns

The National Tracing Center of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives is the United States government agency that traces the origins of guns used in crimes. 24/7 Wall St. analyzed tracing data to create a list of the states with the most trafficked guns,

To determine the states with the most trafficked guns, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed data from the ATF Firearms Trace Data – 2020. States were ranked based on the percentage of guns recovered and traced by the ATF whose origins were determined to be in another state (not all firearms are traced).

When it comes to the debate about guns laws and if they actually stop crime, according to American Progress, former Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Director Bradley Buckles stated,

Virtually every crime gun in the United States starts off as a legal firearm.

Legal guns, owned by 'law-abiding citizens' generally end up in the illegal marketplace through straw purchases, secondary sales by private sellers, and thefts from gun owners or dealers.

New York Among The Top States With Trafficked Guns Used In Crimes

Getty Images

New York State Is Ranked #2 For Trafficked Guns

Of the guns used in crimes in New York that the NFTA traced, 87.5 percent were recovered from other states. Georgia is the top supplier of guns trafficked to New York.

> Total guns recovered and identified: 7,254 (16th highest)
> Top supplier state: Georgia (632 total guns)
> Violent crime rate: 363.8 per 100,000 (25th lowest)