BALTIMORE (WBFF) — Top Maryland lawmakers are vowing to ban so-called ghost guns - firearms assembled from kits that do not have serial numbers and are difficult to trace in a crime.
 

Supporters of the ban say ghost guns pose a real threat to public safety. But some experts say criminals will get their hands on firearms no matter what is done to get rid of ghost guns.
 

In Annapolis, Democrats and Republicans are far apart when it comes to tackling crime.
 

“When you’re looking at crime bills there shouldn’t be a difference between Republicans or Democrats. we want to make citizens safe,” said Joe Vince, a former ATF agent.
 

This, as Governor Hogan is pushing his own pair of anti-crime bills to target violent offenders who use guns and one to increase judicial transparency.
 

As part of the Democrat's push on anti-crime legislation, they are introducing a bill focused on ghost guns.
 

“The legislation we’re proposing will require all guns sold in our state to be serialized, and they will require the guns in private hands be serialized or disposed of, sold or sent somewhere else,” said Brian Frosh.
 

Supporters say the ban is about intervention and point out it would be especially effective for violent crimes among juveniles.
 

“Gun laws such as this are not about preventing citizens from their second amendment rights at all. This is allowing law enforcement the opportunity to prevent these crimes from happening,” said Vince.

In 2021, Baltimore police seized 345 ghost guns, compared to 12 three years ago. Of those recovered last year, 32 were linked to a shooting. So far this year, Baltimore police have recovered 31 ghost guns.
 

Still, some experts say criminals will find a way to get a gun, even if you ban those unmarked firearms.
 

“It’s not new that there are firearms on the streets of Baltimore. It’s new that police and authorities are making hay of this to distract from the fact that they’ve utterly failed to control violence,” said Sean Kennedy of the Maryland Public Policy Institute, a group that says it strives to “put free enterprise and individual opportunity at the center of Maryland’s civic life.”
 

Kennedy says violence has permeated Baltimore for the last decade and ghost guns have only emerged recently, picking up due to the internet.
 

“The fact that they are going to the streets is a dog bites man scenario. Criminals are seeking guns. They’re going to find the path of least resistance,” he said.

In other words, he says, there aren’t more guns on the streets because of ghost guns -- they’re just coming onto the streets a different way.
 

This week, President Biden announced his own crackdown on ghost guns, mainly pushing prosecutors to go after criminals who use them.