Washington, DC—Yesterday, the Biden Administration announced important steps it is taking to address the growing and unchecked problem of ghost guns. As cities across the country are plagued with continuing gun violence, the Administration’s actions will help mayors with their efforts to prevent and reduce the proliferation of these weapons.

Since 1968, the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) has supported commonsense and comprehensive strategies to stanch gun violence. In response to the Administration’s announcement, mayors from across the country voiced their support for the updated rules. The following are some highlights:

Kansas City, MO Mayor Quinton Lucas, Chair of USCM’s Criminal and Social Justice Committee: “I was proud to see @POTUS take steps to ensure the ATF can fulfill its mission to stop gun crimes in our country and to prevent tragedies that happen far too often in our communities. I was glad to be there with my fellow mayors who have worked hard to promote common sense gun violence prevention in their cities, like San Jose and Oakland. We’ve seen progress, but know we have more work ahead.”

Chicago, IL Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot, USCM Trustee and Chair of USCM’s Police Reform and Racial Justice Task Force: “Thank you @POTUS for your continued leadership and effort to enforce common sense gun laws across the country.”

Philadelphia, PA Mayor Jim Kenney, Vice Chair of USCM’s Criminal and Social Justice Committee: “Today, @POTUS and Deputy Attorney General announced that the U.S. Department of Justice has issued a final rule to decrease the production of “ghost guns”— unserialized, privately-made firearms. More than half of Americans have been impacted by gun violence in some way and this final rule along with the nomination of Steve Dettelbach to serve as Director of @ATFHQ will help move us forward in combating the gun violence epidemic—not only in our city, but nationally.”

San Jose, CA Mayor Sam Liccardo, USCM Advisory Board Member: “Today, I had the honor of joining gun violence survivors, advocates & elected officials at the White House as @POTUS announced new measures to combat the illegal sale & purchase of ghost guns. Earlier this year, San José enacted the first-of-its-kind ordinance to reduce gun violence, requiring gun owners to have insurance & pay an annual fee to relieve the public cost of gun violence. I am thankful to President @JoeBiden for addressing this crisis head-on.”

Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, USCM Advisory Board Member: “Across DC and our nation, gun violence continues to plague communities. I commend @POTUS for working to combat violent crime by cracking down on the use and manufacturing of ghost guns.”

San Diego, CA Mayor Todd Gloria, USCM Advisory Board Member: “This year, @SanDiegoPD recovered 143 ghost guns. The proliferation of ghost guns is why we took action to ban them, and I’m thrilled @POTUS has taken action at the federal level. We will continue to get guns off our streets, hold perpetrators accountable, and protect the public.”

Denver, CO Mayor Michael Hancock, Chair of USCM’s Transportation and Communications Committee: “With gun violence rising across many U.S. cities, including Denver, banning ghost guns is just one way we have worked to tackle this issue earlier this year. It’s great to see President Biden taking action to help protect our communities, especially our young people.”

New York City, NY Mayor Eric Adams: “Ghost guns are a crisis. We’ve captured more than 160 of them this year alone. They’re untraceable. They’re deadly. Just a few days ago one took the life of a 16 year old girl in the Bronx. @POTUS’ announcement today will help dam this river of violence.”

Oakland, CA Mayor Libby Schaaf: “Ghost guns are taking a devastating toll on our cities and our families. Today I stood with @POTUS + @VP at the WH to support new regulations that will finally hold the makers of these deadly devices accountable.”

Seattle, WA Mayor Bruce Harrell: “If we want to keep our community and children safe, we must address the proliferation of untraceable ghost guns in Seattle and around the country. This action by @POTUS will save lives, hold dealers accountable, and keep deadly weapons out of the hands of criminals.”