HARTFORD, Conn. — A multi-agency investigation has led to the crackdown of illegal gun parts in Connecticut. It comes after some illegal kit gun parts were shipped to Connecticut from out-of-state manufacturers.
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong vowed to hold arms dealers accountable Tuesday. Tong announced Connecticut is suing four out of state gun part manufacturers. He also sent a warning to others. “We are going to come after you,” said Tong.
The office of the Attorney General in cooperation with the state police set up a P.O. Box and we’re able to get four out-of-state gun part manufacturers to illegally ship them to Connecticut. “This is an 80% lower receiver for an AR15. The same weapon that killed 26 people in Newtown,” said Tong as he held up the part.
On its website, Indie Guns says its mission is, “To put personal firearms beyond the reach of government.” AR Industries claims, “You have the responsibility to know the firearm laws,” while Steel Fox says they, “Don’t ship to P.O. Boxes” and “Won’t ship if your state falls under the restricted list.” But Tong explained, “They still sold it to us anyway. They shipped it to us anyway.”
In Hartford alone, the Capital city went from seizing seven ghost guns in 2020 to 57 in 2022. “These ghost guns, we know they are all over this country and over the world we know that,” said Deborah Davis of Mother’s United Against Violence.
These 80% lower receivers often become kit guns that are more commonly dubbed ‘ghost’ guns because many do not have a serial number. They became illegal in Connecticut in 2019.
“Make sure that they are not bypassing what we have in Connecticut which are the strongest gun laws in the country,” said Jeremy Stein of Connecticut Against Gun Violence.
Not only are these so-called ghost guns, lacking serial numbers, unregistered and untraceable, but they can also be assembled within minutes using just a few easy-to-get tools. “We could turn these into killing machines. Weapons of war that could end up on Connecticut streets today,” said Tong.
FOX61 called the companies in question. We were able to speak with someone who identified himself as an employee of Steel Fox Firearms in Florida. He acknowledged it was a mistake and said they are looking at it as a clerical error. The employee claimed they froze inventory and paused the website while they look into it.
Matt Caron is a reporter at FOX61 News. He can be reached at mcaron@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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