The ATF found that stolen guns, untraceable weapons, and homemade firearms called “ghost guns” are becoming more prevalent in US gun crimes, new federal data shows.
ATF: Ghost guns becoming a growing menace
In a first-of-its-kind report, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) released an expansive federal report providing the public with extensive detail on gun crimes in America.
What the newest federal data shows is an increased prevalence in the United States for crimes committed using stolen guns, untraceable weapons, and homemade weapons called “ghost guns,” as well as other deadly devices, NPR reported.
The data covers a five-year span, 2017 through 2021. During that time period, reports from local police show a shrinking turnaround time for a legally purchased gun used in a crime. The report also showed a spike in so-called “ghost guns” and conversion devices.
What are ghost guns?
Ghost guns are powerful handguns and rifles that can be assembled at home or purchased online without a background check or license. The parts can be put together in minutes, ABC 7 NY reported.
Ghost guns contain no serial number, are unregulated, can be purchased by anyone – including minors and prohibited purchasers – while avoiding a background check, according to BradyUnited.org. They are sold at gun shows around the country, as well as online, and one of their purposes is avoiding adherence to gun laws.
According to everytownresearch.org, a gun safety group: “Because of ATF’s current interpretation of the law, the core building blocks for a ghost gun are not regulated as ‘firearms’ and therefore can be acquired with no background check and made into a fully functioning, untraceable firearm in less than one hour.”
Two years ago, the NYPD created a taskforce to try and combat the emerging trend.
“A ghost gun does not have a serial number on it and serial numbers are a major way to track the life of that gun and ghost guns do not have that serial number so it makes it far more difficult,” a spokesperson for the NYPD said.
“Some of the kits come with everything required to build it in a matter of 20, 30 minutes with very little tools,” said Daryl McCormick, ATF assistant special agent in charge. “You don’t go to a licensed dealer, you don’t have a background check done, the parts come to one location, it can be your home and in the privacy of your basement, you can assemble one of these.”
“The rise of ghost guns is the fastest growing gun safety problem facing our country,” everytownresearch.org stresses.
Biden admin law cracks down on ghost guns
In August 2022, a new federal rule by the Biden administration went into effect, updating the definitions of “firearm” and “frame or receiver” to cover kits and components that could be easily assembled to create an untraceable ghost gun, Everytown reported.
