Push to renew law that bans undetectable guns

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer joined Albany leaders on Monday to call on Congress to renew gun regulations that are set to expire in February. The Undetectable Firearms Act requires all guns to contain at least four ounces of metal so they can be picked up by metal detectors.

Schumer said if the law isn't renewed, ghost guns could legally be made entirely of plastic and pose a danger to public events and spaces. Albany Police Chief Eric Hawkins said the number of ghost guns has dramatically increased in the city since 2020, and they comprise over 13 percent of confiscated weapons

"What happens if those guns, those metal detectors prove to be useless at stopping guns," Schumer said. "It would be a very dangerous scary situation, so we need Congress to authorize the law now. We need to keep this important tool in the law enforcement tool chest. We can't make it easier for undetectable guns to get in our streets."

"We are extremely concerned about this," Hawkins said. "When you add in the fact that there's a potential to have not only ghost guns with the metal in them that we have to deal with, but now ghost guns that are totally undetectable from scanning devices, and some of our major places in our cities in Albany, this country, is extremely startling."

The police chief said most of the ghost guns confiscated by Albany officers were manufactured out of state, and federal cooperation is key to preventing undetectable guns from making it into our communities.