Sponsor
Ritchie Torres
Representative · D-NY
Representative · D-NY
The bill expands legal accountability and compensation options for victims and governments harmed by ghost guns, at the cost of greater litigation exposure and associated economic, administrative, and legal burdens on manufacturers, courts, and some defendants.
Victims of shootings and their families can sue ghost‑gun manufacturers, sellers, and others and courts can award consequential damages, increasing the likelihood of fuller financial compensation for injuries, deaths, and related economic losses.
States and localities can recover damages for harms caused by ghost guns, helping cover public costs such as law‑enforcement response, medical care, and cleanup.
Manufacturers, parts makers, and intermediaries (including small businesses) face greater litigation risk and potential liability costs, which could raise prices, reduce supply, or push some firms out of the market.
Law‑enforcement officers and private individuals who use force in self‑defense may still face lawsuits despite affirmative defenses, creating legal uncertainty and added defense costs for officers and some civilians.
An influx of civil suits related to ghost‑gun incidents could increase workloads for federal district courts in affected areas, slowing case resolution and raising administrative burdens on the judicial system.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Creates a federal civil cause of action allowing injured people, families, and state/local governments to sue makers or sellers of ghost‑gun components for damages.
Official title: To provide a private right of action against the maker of any component of a ghost gun, and any person who facilitated a sale of the ghost gun, for injury or death resulting from the use of the ghost gun.
Introduced January 16, 2025 by Ritchie Torres · Last progress January 16, 2025
Creates a new federal private right of action allowing people injured (and family members of those killed) and the State or local government where the harm occurred to sue makers of any component of a “ghost gun” or anyone who facilitated its sale for damages caused by use of that ghost gun. Courts may award compensatory and consequential damages; the bill defines “ghost gun” as a firearm without a serial number manufactured or imported under federal law and includes parts designed to be assembled or converted into a firearm. Two affirmative defenses are provided for: reasonable self‑defense by an individual, and reasonable law‑enforcement response to an imminent public‑safety threat.