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Illegal firearms

Ghost guns: Untraceable firearms assembled from kits avoid regulation

Portrait of David Baratz David Baratz
April 11, 2022Updated June 11, 2024, 11:20 a.m. ET
President Joe Biden holds up a ghost gun kit while announcing new measures by his administration to fight ghost gun crime at the White House in, Washington on April 11, 2022.
President Joe Biden holds up a ghost gun kit while announcing new measures by his administration to fight ghost gun crime at the White House in, Washington on April 11, 2022.
Kevin Lamarque, Reuters
"Ghost guns" seized in federal law enforcement actions are displayed at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) field office in Glendale, California on April 18, 2022.
"Ghost guns" seized in federal law enforcement actions are displayed at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) field office in Glendale, California on April 18, 2022.
ROBYN BECK, AVP VIA GETTY IMAGES
"Ghost guns" seized in federal law enforcement actions are displayed at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) field office in Glendale, California on April 18, 2022.
"Ghost guns" seized in federal law enforcement actions are displayed at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) field office in Glendale, California on April 18, 2022.
Robyn Beck/Getty Images
Dimitri Karras shows a custom 3D-printed lower receiver for a Glock pistol inside Firearms Unknown, a gun store in Oceanside, Calif., April 12, 2021.
Dimitri Karras shows a custom 3D-printed lower receiver for a Glock pistol inside Firearms Unknown, a gun store in Oceanside, Calif., April 12, 2021.
Bing Guan, Reuters
Pictures of confiscated "ghost guns" are displayed before a news conference with New York Mayor Eric Adams and New York Attorney General Letitia James and others to announce a new lawsuit against "ghost gun" distributors on June 29, 2022 in New York City. The city's lawsuit is against 10 distributors of gun components which are used in the illegal, and largely untraceable "ghost guns" that have significantly contributed to the violence on the streets of New York City.
Pictures of confiscated "ghost guns" are displayed before a news conference with New York Mayor Eric Adams and New York Attorney General Letitia James and others to announce a new lawsuit against "ghost gun" distributors on June 29, 2022 in New York City. The city's lawsuit is against 10 distributors of gun components which are used in the illegal, and largely untraceable "ghost guns" that have significantly contributed to the violence on the streets of New York City.
Spencer Platt, Getty Images
In this photo illustration, a man looks at a website which sells gun kits or "ghost guns," August 31, 2021 in Los Angeles.
In this photo illustration, a man looks at a website which sells gun kits or "ghost guns," August 31, 2021 in Los Angeles.
ROBYN BECK, AFP Via Getty Images
Cody Wilson, owner of Defense Distributed company, holds a 3D printed gun, called the "Liberator", in his factory in Austin, Texas on Aug. 1, 2018. The "crypto-anarchist" caused panic by publishing online blueprints for 3D-printed firearms. A federal court judge blocked Texan Cody Wilson's website on July 31, 2018, by issuing a temporary injunction.
Cody Wilson, owner of Defense Distributed company, holds a 3D printed gun, called the "Liberator", in his factory in Austin, Texas on Aug. 1, 2018. The "crypto-anarchist" caused panic by publishing online blueprints for 3D-printed firearms. A federal court judge blocked Texan Cody Wilson's website on July 31, 2018, by issuing a temporary injunction.
KELLY WEST, AFP/Getty Images
A Liberator pistol appears next to the 3D printer on which its components were made on July 11, 2013. The single-shot handgun is the first firearm that can be made entirely with plastic components forged with a 3D printer and computer-aided design (CAD) files downloaded from the Internet. The US Justice Department moved on may 7, 2021 to tighten firearms regulations and close loopholes that have allowed the rapid proliferation of untraceable, home-assembled "ghost guns." The department said that from 2016 to 2020 it had recovered more than 23,000 firearms that did not display serial numbers, usually made from core parts and kits bought online, sometimes with components made on home 3-D printers.
A Liberator pistol appears next to the 3D printer on which its components were made on July 11, 2013. The single-shot handgun is the first firearm that can be made entirely with plastic components forged with a 3D printer and computer-aided design (CAD) files downloaded from the Internet. The US Justice Department moved on may 7, 2021 to tighten firearms regulations and close loopholes that have allowed the rapid proliferation of untraceable, home-assembled "ghost guns." The department said that from 2016 to 2020 it had recovered more than 23,000 firearms that did not display serial numbers, usually made from core parts and kits bought online, sometimes with components made on home 3-D printers.
ROBERT MACPHERSON, AFP Via Getty Images
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