ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — Gov. Andrew Cuomo raised the issue of ghost guns in his State of the State address on Wednesday. Cuomo proposed banning these untraceable or undetectable weapons by treating firearm parts as guns by assigning multiple individual serial numbers.

As a public safety measure, potential legislation would subject each component to the same eligibility requirements as the whole gun. Identifying information and bars of entry include serial numbers, physical transactions, and checks and credentials for buyers and sellers.

Cuomo proposes preventing people from obtaining the major components of firearms, rifles, and shotguns online. Instead, authorized buyers must ship to and interact in-person with licensed dealers to acquire and assemble the constituent pieces.

Cuomo backs creating new criminal penalties for violating these procedures. He posits that these limitations would prevent individuals from easily building weapons that cannot be traced by law enforcement.

Lacking a proper chain of custody, a “ghost gun”—like the one used in a November mass shooting at a California high school—is a Frankenstein weapon concocted from 3D printed materials, unregulated black-market purchases, and anonymous online sales. A responsible gun-owner would have no reason to pursue a ghost gun instead of adhering to safe legal practices.