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A2725Assembly2017-2018 Session

Serial Numbers for Homemade Guns

Official title

“Relates to requiring all firearms manufactured, crafted or built by private individuals to have an identifying serial number”

Sponsor Charles LavineAD-13+1 co-sponsorAffects Legal
Status
In Assembly Committee
Codes
Impact
7/10
Significant
Passage
0%

Bill progress

Step 2 of 7

In committee · Codes

What's happening

This bill requires privately made firearms in New York to have a unique serial number and be registered, with violations classified as a class C felony.

Why it matters

  1. Criminalizes unmarked homemade guns. The bill makes it a class C felony if a privately made firearm does not have a uniquely marked serial number, substantially raising the legal stakes for individuals making guns at home.

  2. State-level firearm tracking. By requiring makers to submit the serial number, physical specifications, and a photograph of the firearm to the state's Department of Criminal Justice Services, the law aims to build a new registry of these privately made guns, increasing traceability.

  3. Closes "ghost gun" loophole. This legislation directly targets so-called "ghost guns"—firearms assembled from kits or components that lack serial numbers—making it much harder to possess or transfer such guns anonymously in New York.

  4. Potential impact on hobbyists and DIY gunsmiths. Individuals who build firearms for personal use, even as a hobby, must now comply with strict identification and reporting rules, or face severe felony charges, which may deter or reshape home gunmaking activities in the state.

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Who cares

Headline styles

Serial Numbers for Homemade Guns

Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.

Sponsors

Primary sponsor
Charles Lavine

Assembly Member · Assembly District 13

Chair, Judiciary

1 Co-sponsor

1 Multi-sponsor

History

  1. Referred to codes
  2. Referred to codes

Full text

1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗

STATE OF NEW YORK

2725

2017-2018 Regular Sessions

IN ASSEMBLY

January 23, 2017

Introduced by M. of A. LAVINE, SIMON -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. GALEF -- read once and referred to the Committee on Codes

AN ACT to amend the penal law, in relation to requiring all firearms manufactured, crafted or built by private individuals to have an identifying serial number

The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:

Section 1. The penal law is amended by adding a new section 265.50 to read as follows: § 265.50 Failure to identify a firearm.

(1) Firearms manufactured, crafted, assembled or built by private individuals shall have an identifying serial number engraved, casted, stamped (impressing), or otherwise conspicuously placed on the frame or receiver of the firearm. The serial number must be placed in a manner not susceptible of being readily obliterated, altered, or removed, and must not duplicate any serial number placed by the individual on any other firearm.

(2) The individual shall submit the firearm's serial number to the department of criminal justice services with the firearm's size and a photograph of the firearm.

Failure to identify a firearm is a class C felony.

§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.

EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets

[ ] is old law to be omitted.

LBD07888-01-7

Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.

Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.