Rep. Tokuda introduces bill to empower law enforcement efforts to crack down on ghost guns

US Rep. Jill Tokuda introduced new federal legislation on Tuesday aimed at curbing the rise of untraceable firearms—commonly known as “ghost guns”—by tracking interstate shipments of gun kits and identifying individuals illegally acquiring firearm components.

The Gun Hardware Oversight and Shipment Tracking (GHOST) Act seeks to support law enforcement by establishing a system to monitor the shipment of gun kits often used to assemble ghost guns. These weapons, which are frequently built from 3D-printed parts and lack serial numbers, have become increasingly common at crime scenes nationwide, including in Hawaiʻi.

“Ghost guns made from legally purchased DIY kits and 3D-printed parts pose a serious threat to public safety and law enforcement,” said Tokuda in a statement. “This bill will give our partners on the ground another critical tool to stop the spread of these dangerous weapons.”

On Monday, Tokuda joined the Honolulu Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives at HPD’s Ke Kula Makaʻi Training Academy for a demonstration of how easily ghost guns can be assembled with online-purchased kits and 3D-printed components.

“Seeing firsthand how easy it is to print and assemble an untraceable weapon and create deadly firearm modifications renews my sense of urgency to close loopholes,” Tokuda said.

Mike Lambert, director of the Hawai‘i Department of Law Enforcement, agreed that the GHOST Act “moves the needle in the right direction” to restrict the availability of illegal firearms. “The State of Hawai‘i is grateful to Representative Tokuda for taking our concerns of unserialized firearms, commonly referred to as ʻghost guns’, to the national forefront,” he said.

The GHOST Act is the latest in a series of efforts by Tokuda to address gun violence. In March, she led a letter signed by 21 members of Congress urging shipping giant UPS to tighten its policies around the delivery of gun kits and parts. Last December, she hosted a federal briefing on Oʻahu’s west side with the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, which has since been eliminated by the Trump administration.

The bill has received endorsements from gun safety advocacy groups GIFFORDS and March for Our Lives and is cosponsored by more than 20 members of Congress, including Reps. Eleanor Holmes Norton, Hank Johnson, Greg Casar and Sarah McBride.

The full text of the bill is available here.