Background
The Scott J. Beigel Unfinished Receiver Act and the Jose Webster Untraceable Firearms Act were signed on October 28, 2021. The Beigel Act took effect on February 25, 2022, and the Jose Webster Act took effect on April 26, 2022. The Act was named after Scott J. Beigel, a geography teacher and cross-country coach at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, who was killed in the 2018 mass shooting while protecting his students.[1]
While the Jose Webster Act addressed completed ghost guns, the Beigel Act targeted the upstream supply chain by regulating the unfinished frames and receivers that are used to build unserialized firearms.[2]
Definition of Unfinished Frame or Receiver
Under PL 265.07(1), an "unfinished frame or receiver" is defined as unserialized material that does not yet constitute the frame or receiver of a firearm, rifle, or shotgun, has been shaped or formed for the purpose of becoming one, and may readily be made into a functional frame or receiver through milling, drilling, or other means.[3]
The definition requires unserialized material that has been shaped or formed for the purpose of becoming a frame or receiver and may readily be made functional through milling, drilling, or other means. The current statutory definition does not create a separate exclusion based on a change to the material's chemical composition.[4]
Key Prohibitions
The Beigel Act established the following restrictions in Penal Law Article 265.[2]
- Possession restrictions: Penal Law Section 265.01(10) makes possession of an unserialized frame or receiver or an unfinished frame or receiver, knowing it is such an item, a Class A misdemeanor for a person not licensed as a gunsmith or firearms dealer, subject to the statute's exceptions
- Sale prohibition: PL 265.63 prohibits unlawfully selling, exchanging, giving or disposing of an unserialized frame or receiver or an unfinished frame or receiver with knowledge of its status. Its exceptions for voluntary surrender to designated law enforcement officials or transfer to a licensed gunsmith apply only for six months after the section's effective date
- Serialization mandate: A licensed or required-to-be-licensed gunsmith, or a firearms dealer, who possesses an unserialized unfinished frame or receiver must mark the item with a unique serial number and their name or recognized abbreviation in a manner that satisfies or exceeds federal marking requirements
- Registration: The covered gunsmith or dealer must register the serialized item with the Division of Criminal Justice Services
Penalties
Under PL 265.01(10), a person not licensed as a gunsmith or firearms dealer who possesses an unserialized frame or receiver or an unfinished frame or receiver, knowing it is such an item, commits a Class A misdemeanor, subject to the statutory exceptions. Sale or distribution of unserialized unfinished frames or receivers carries separate criminal penalties.[5]
Enforcement and Impact
The Beigel Act has been enforced through coordinated actions by the Attorney General's office and law enforcement agencies. Attorney General James has brought actions against online sellers advertising and shipping unfinished frames and receivers to New York buyers in violation of the law.[6] Together, the Jose Webster Act and the Beigel Act were described at the time of their signing as "the nation's toughest restrictions on ghost guns."[7]
Verification
4 of 4 factual claims on this page were matched to their source text as of 2026-10-16.
Show the claims
| Claim | Type | Status | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PL 265.07(1)Source text: # § 265.07 Registration and serialization of firearms, rifles, shotguns, finished frames or receivers, and unfinished frames or receivers finished frames or re | STAT | verified against source | None | 2026-10-16 |
| Penal Law Section 265.01(10)Source text: # § 265.01-a Criminal possession of a weapon on school grounds A person is guilty of criminal possession of a weapon on school grounds when he or she knowingly | STAT | verified against source | None | 2026-10-16 |
| PL 265.63Source text: # § 265.63 Criminal sale of a frame or receiver in the second degree A person is guilty of criminal sale of a frame or receiver in the second degree when, know | STAT | verified against source | None | 2026-10-16 |
| PL 265.01(10)Source text: # § 265.01-a Criminal possession of a weapon on school grounds A person is guilty of criminal possession of a weapon on school grounds when he or she knowingly | STAT | verified against source | None | 2026-10-16 |