Page 3 - aruba-today-20200930

A3
U.S. NEWS Wednesday 30 september 2020

California sues U.S. regulator in bid to deter 'ghost guns'

By DON THOMPSON in San Jose from 2017 to
Associated Press 2018, the suit says, without
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) providing actual numbers
— Backed by the fathers of of weapons seized.
two slain children, Califor- They now make up 30% of
nia's attorney general sued guns recovered in Califor-
the Trump administration nia, said Hannah Shearer,
on Tuesday in an effort to litigation director at the Gif-
crack down on so-called fords Law Center that also
"ghost guns" that can be is a party in the lawsuit.
built from parts with little California is now home to
ability to track or regulate 18 of the 80 known online
the owners. ghost gun retailers, double
The federal Bureau of Al- the number from six years
cohol, Tobacco, Firearms ago and the most of any
and Explosives doesn't con- state, according to the
sider that the unfinished lawsuit. "The only logical
do-it-yourself kits qualify as intended result of a ghost
firearms. So buyers don't gun kit is that it will become
have to undergo the usual a firearm," Becerra said.
gun purchase background "They are fast becoming
checks and in most states the weapons of choice for
the guns are not required illegal gun traffickers, for
to have serial numbers. In this file photo taken Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2019, is Sgt. Matthew Elseth with "ghost guns" on organized criminal gangs,
California Attorney Gen- display at the headquarters of the San Francisco Police Department in San Francisco. and unfortunately for mass
Associated Press
eral Xavier Becerra's law- murderers as well."
suit asks a federal judge in California-based Firearms one, can buy these totally a federal security officer At issue are so-called "80
San Francisco to order the Policy Coalition that pro- unregulated kits with just an outside an Oakland court- percent receivers and
federal agency to change motes gun-owners' rights. internet connection and a house and ambushing a frames" that Becerra said
its policy — arguing that it Lawsuit plaintiff Bryan credit card, and that's how sheriff's deputy in late May can be sold by unlicensed
violates the common defi- Muehlberger said he had my daughter's killer got his and early June. dealers and made into
nition of a firearm under never heard of ghost guns murder weapon," Muehl- It's a growing problem, ac- untraceable firearms at
federal law and that the until November, when his berger said. cording to the lawsuit. home. Combs, of the fire-
agency's decision in 2006 15-year-old daughter, Gra- As a test earlier this year, Ghost gun seizures by the arms organization, said the
to stop considering the cie Anne Muehlberger, was he used his slain, underage state Department of Jus- agency's policy "is both le-
parts as firearms was arbi- one of two students killed daughter's name and his tice jumped 512% between gally sound and common
trary and capricious. with one at Saugus High own credit card to order 2018 and 2019. The num- sense. Under Becerra's ut-
Agency spokeswoman School in the Southern Cali- a ghost gun kit in about ber of such weapons re- terly absurd interpretation
April Langwell said the ATF fornia city of Santa Clarita. two minutes from an online covered in Los Angeles in- of law, flat pieces of metal
does not comment on Student Nathaniel Berhow, dealer. Becerra said ghost creased 144% from 2015 to at Home Depot would be
pending litigation. 16, also wounded three guns were similarly used in 2019. treated as firearms and
The lawsuit was called friv- other people before killing mass shootings that each None were recovered in chunks of aluminum would
olous and "another outra- himself. Frank Blackwell, the killed five people in Santa San Francisco in 2015, but be so-called 'ghost guns'."
geous example of Attorney father of 14-year-old Domi- Monica in 2013 and Te- recoveries soared 1517% The Everytown for Gun
General Becerra attacking nic Blackwell, the second hama County in 2017. An- from 2016 to 2019. Law Safety group and a coali-
law-abiding gun owners" slain student, also is a plain- other was used by Steven enforcement agencies re- tion of cities filed a similar
by Brandon Combs, presi- tiff in the lawsuit. Carrillo, an Air Force ser- ported a 940% jump in San lawsuit last month in federal
dent of the Sacramento, "Anyone, and I mean any- geant charged with killing Diego and a 51% increase court in New York. q

Judge allows U.S. suit against Libyan commander to move ahead

By MATTHEW BARAKAT family members allege that rela- Tripoli, Libya’s capital. But his army the arguments Hifter’s lawyers are
Associated Press tives were singled out for torture suffered significant setbacks in re- making in favor of dismissal is that
FALLS CHURCH, Va. (AP) — A fed- and execution by Hifter’s army. cent months after the United Na- the matter is a “political ques-
eral judge has rejected a request Hifter, once a lieutenant to Liby- tions-backed government oppos- tion” not suited to judicial review,
from a Libyan military command- an dictator Moammar Gadhafi, ing him received military support and that allowing a judge to ren-
er who once lived in Virginia to defected to the U.S. during the from Turkey. Hifter has received der an opinion on whether Hifter
toss out lawsuits accusing him of 1980s and spent many years living backing from Russia and Egypt. committed war crimes interferes
war atrocities. in northern Virginia. According to While Brinkema is allowing the with the executive branch’s abil-
At a hearing Tuesday in U.S. Dis- one of the lawsuits, Hifter and his core claims in the two separate ity to conduct foreign policy. After
trict Court in Alexandria, Judge family purchased 17 properties in lawsuits to go forward, she did toss the stay is lifted, the case would
Leonie Brinkema said the accu- Virginia between 2014 and 2017, out some. She also dismissed Hift- then proceed to discovery, which
sations against Libyan National paying $8 million in cash. He is er’s two sons, who served as bat- could theoretically allow for Hifter
Army leader Khalifa Hifter are widely believed to have worked talion commanders in the Libyan to be questioned under oath in a
“very problematic and they’re al- with the CIA during his time in ex- National Army, as defendants. deposition. Brinkema, though, ac-
legations of some very, very seri- ile. Brinkema also ordered a pause knowledged the logistical difficul-
ous conduct.” Hifter returned to Libya in 2011 in the case for 60 days while she ties and suggested it could take
The lawsuits, filed by the fami- after Gadhafi’s fall, and his army solicits an opinion from the State years.
lies of victims, claim that civilians gained control of eastern Libya, Department on whether allowing “I don’t have any idea how in the
were killed indiscriminately during including Benghazi. Last year, he the suits to proceed will interfere world plaintiffs will get discovery,”
Hifter’s military campaigns. Some launched a campaign to take with diplomatic efforts. One of Brinkema said.q