Committee advances bill to ban unserialized 'ghost guns' after contentious debate

The Senate Judiciary and Public Safety Committee voted to recommend Senate File 3661 to the Senate floor after a roll‑call vote on March 16, advancing a proposal to ban the sale, transfer and possession of firearms lacking serial numbers.

Attorney General Keith Ellison, testifying in favor, told the committee that ghost guns—"firearms that can be 3D printed or assembled at home from a kit sold online"—create a significant public safety problem: they are difficult to trace at crime scenes, can bypass background checks and ease trafficking, he said. Ellison described the bill’s main elements: requiring serial numbers on manufactured frames or receivers, capping the number of firearms an unlicensed individual may make per year, requiring serialization through federally licensed dealers, restricting 3D printing for firearms and prohibiting distribution of design files used to print functional weapons.

Opponents, including an attorney appearing for the National Rifle Association and representatives from gun‑owner groups, said the bill would criminalize longstanding private conduct, burden hobbyists and raise First Amendment concerns about criminalizing digital design files. An NRA attorney warned the proposal could create new felonies for ordinary owners who have privately made firearms.

Committee members debated constitutional and practical questions: how serialization would be implemented, whether the proposal amounted to an undue regulatory burden on hobbyists, and how the law would interact with federal serialization and ATF processes. Supporters said exemptions and a six‑month compliance window were included to accommodate current owners.

The clerk recorded the roll call after Sen. Latz moved the recommendation: votes in favor were Sen. Latz, Sen. Oumou Verbeten, Chair Sen. Pappas, Sen. Seeborger, Sen. Westlin and Sen. Clark (6 yes); votes against were Sen. Limmer, Sen. Holmstrom, Sen. Kreun and Sen. Westrom (4 no). The motion prevailed and the bill was sent to the Senate floor for further consideration.

Next steps: SF3661 will be scheduled for floor debate and further amendment on the Senate calendar.