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Issues

Ghost Guns

    Ghost Guns

      What is the problem?

      A ghost gun is a do-it-yourself, homemade firearm made from easy-to-get building blocks. These guns are made by an individual, not a federally licensed manufacturer or importer. In less than one hour, these self-made weapons become fully functioning, untraceable firearms.

      Ghost guns are the fastest-growing gun safety problem facing our country. ATF estimates that more than 70,700 suspected privately made firearms (i.e., ghost guns) were recovered by law enforcement between 2016 and 2022—nearly two-thirds of which were recovered in 2021 and 2022.1Everytown Research analysis of US Department of Justice, “Justice Department Announces New Rule to Modernize Firearm Definitions,” press release, April 2022, https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-announces-new-rule-modernize-firearm-definitions; US Department of Justice, “FACT SHEET: Update on Justice Department ’s Ongoing Efforts to Tackle Gun Violence,” press release, June 2023, https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/fact-sheet-update-justice-department-s-ongoing-efforts-tackle-gun-violence. Note: The ATF warns that “[t]he dramatic rise in trace submissions involving PMF’s reflects both increased criminal use of these firearms and enhanced awareness among law enforcement that ATF will process trace requests for PMFs. In particular, the substantial increase in PMF trace submissions since 2020 is in part attributable to education, outreach, and training that ATF has provided to LEAs on how to identify PMFs and the importance of submitting them for tracing.” They are becoming a weapon of choice for violent criminals, gun traffickers, and other legally prohibited persons, as well as right-wing extremists. The country has also seen incidents of gunfire on school grounds and unintentional shootings by children involving ghost guns.

      Recent Federal Action

      Federal authorities finalized a rule which took effect in August 2022 that clarified that the core building blocks of ghost guns are firearms under the law—ensuring they are traceable and that licensed dealers must conduct a background check before their sale. The rule updated and clarified key regulatory definitions, including “firearm,” “frame,” and “receiver,” to ensure that kits and components that are easily assembled into untraceable ghost guns are subject to the same regulations as firearms.1US Department of Justice and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, “Definition of ‘Frame or Receiver’ and Identification of Firearms,” Federal Register 87, no. 80 (April 26, 2022): 24652–749, https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2022-04-26/pdf/2022-08026.pdf.

      This ATF rule has been challenged in court, and litigation is ongoing. In the event that the ATF rule is struck down, Congress must act to ensure that the core parts for ghost guns are defined as firearms and properly regulated. States should also consider additional action to regulate ghost guns.

      WHAT DID THE ATF PREVIOUSLY NOT CONSIDER TO BE A FIREARM?

      Prior to the federal rule in 2022, the ATF did not consider an unfinished frame or receiver—the basic building blocks of pistols and long guns, respectively—to be a firearm, even though the difference between an unfinished and a finished, ready-to-install frame or receiver is a few tools and very little handiwork.

      Which states regulate ghost guns?

      15 states have adopted this policy

      AL AK AZ AR CA CO CT DE FL GA HI ID IL IN IA KS KY LA ME MD MA MI MN MS MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VT VA WA WV WI WY

      Ghost Guns Regulated

      Alabama has not adopted this policy

      Ghost Guns Regulated

      Alaska has not adopted this policy

      Ghost Guns Regulated

      Arizona has not adopted this policy

      Ghost Guns Regulated

      Arkansas has not adopted this policy

      Ghost Guns Regulated

      California has adopted this policy

      What does the state law require?
      Serial numbers and background checks for component parts, all ghost guns must be reported to officials.

      Ghost Guns Regulated

      Colorado has adopted this policy

      What does the state law require?
      Serial numbers for component parts.

      Ghost Guns Regulated

      Connecticut has adopted this policy

      What does the state law require?
      Serial numbers and background checks for component parts, all ghost guns must be reported to officials, no plastic undetectable guns.

      Ghost Guns Regulated

      Delaware has adopted this policy

      What does the state law require?
      Serial numbers and background checks for component parts, no plastic undetectable guns, no 3D printing of guns, no distribution of 3D printing instructions.

      Ghost Guns Regulated

      Florida has not adopted this policy

      Ghost Guns Regulated

      Georgia has not adopted this policy

      Ghost Guns Regulated

      Hawaii has adopted this policy

      What does the state law require?
      Serial numbers and background checks for component parts, all ghost guns must be reported to officials, no 3D printing of guns.

      Ghost Guns Regulated

      Idaho has not adopted this policy

      Ghost Guns Regulated

      Illinois has adopted this policy

      What does the state law require?
      Serial numbers and background checks for all firearms and component parts

      Ghost Guns Regulated

      Indiana has not adopted this policy

      Ghost Guns Regulated

      Iowa has not adopted this policy

      Ghost Guns Regulated

      Kansas has not adopted this policy

      Ghost Guns Regulated

      Kentucky has not adopted this policy

      Ghost Guns Regulated

      Louisiana has not adopted this policy

      Ghost Guns Regulated

      Maine has not adopted this policy

      Ghost Guns Regulated

      Maryland has adopted this policy

      What does the state law require?
      Serial numbers and background checks for all firearms and component parts. All ghost guns must be reported to officials.

      Ghost Guns Regulated

      Massachusetts has adopted this policy

      What does the state law require?
      Serial numbers and background checks for all firearms and component parts. All ghost guns must be reported to officials.

      Ghost Guns Regulated

      Michigan has not adopted this policy

      Ghost Guns Regulated

      Minnesota has not adopted this policy

      Ghost Guns Regulated

      Mississippi has not adopted this policy

      Ghost Guns Regulated

      Missouri has not adopted this policy

      Ghost Guns Regulated

      Montana has not adopted this policy

      Ghost Guns Regulated

      Nebraska has not adopted this policy

      Ghost Guns Regulated

      Nevada has adopted this policy

      What does the state law require?
      Serial numbers and background checks for component parts

      Ghost Guns Regulated

      New Hampshire has not adopted this policy

      Ghost Guns Regulated

      New Jersey has adopted this policy

      What does the state law require?
      Serial numbers and background checks for component parts, all ghost guns must be reported to officials, no 3D printing of guns, no distribution of 3D printing instructions, no plastic undetectable guns.

      Ghost Guns Regulated

      New Mexico has not adopted this policy

      Ghost Guns Regulated

      New York has adopted this policy

      What does the state law require?
      Serial numbers and background checks for component parts, all ghost guns must be reported to officials, no plastic undetectable guns.

      Ghost Guns Regulated

      North Carolina has not adopted this policy

      Ghost Guns Regulated

      North Dakota has not adopted this policy

      Ghost Guns Regulated

      Ohio has not adopted this policy

      Ghost Guns Regulated

      Oklahoma has not adopted this policy

      Ghost Guns Regulated

      Oregon has adopted this policy

      What does the state law require?
      Prohibits undetectable firearms, including 3D printed guns; requires all firearms, frames, and receivers to be serialized

      Ghost Guns Regulated

      Pennsylvania has not adopted this policy

      Ghost Guns Regulated

      Rhode Island has adopted this policy

      What does the state law require?
      Serial numbers and background checks for component parts, no 3D printing of guns

      Ghost Guns Regulated

      South Carolina has not adopted this policy

      Ghost Guns Regulated

      South Dakota has not adopted this policy

      Ghost Guns Regulated

      Tennessee has not adopted this policy

      Ghost Guns Regulated

      Texas has not adopted this policy

      Ghost Guns Regulated

      Utah has not adopted this policy

      Ghost Guns Regulated

      Vermont has adopted this policy

      What does the state law require?
      Serial numbers and background checks for all firearms and component parts

      Ghost Guns Regulated

      Virginia has not adopted this policy

      What does the state law require?
      No plastic undetectable guns

      Ghost Guns Regulated

      Washington has adopted this policy

      What does the state law require?
      Serial numbers and background checks for component parts, no plastic undetectable guns

      Ghost Guns Regulated

      West Virginia has not adopted this policy

      Ghost Guns Regulated

      Wisconsin has not adopted this policy

      Ghost Guns Regulated

      Wyoming has not adopted this policy

      Why is it an issue?

      Criminals can easily build a gun in under an hour.

      Untraceable: The Rising Specter of Ghost Guns Report

      Decades ago, it may have required certain technical knowledge and skill to convert an unfinished frame or receiver into a fully functioning firearm, but those days are over. Prior to the ATF rule in 2022, with just a few tools and little time, a person with no gunsmithing skills could purchase an unserialized, unfinished frame or receiver without a background check and convert it into a working firearm. Without serial numbers, these guns are virtually impossible to trace when later recovered by law enforcement at crime scenes.

      Online sellers have tapped into this market, becoming one-stop shops for ghost gun parts, tools, and how-to guides, often openly promoting that their products are designed to evade ATF regulation. Following the finalization of the ATF rule, some ghost gun sellers shifted to offering 3-D printing files for frames and receivers along with the rest of the parts necessary to build untraceable guns. It should come as no surprise that ghost gun recoveries across the U.S. are on the rise, and have recently been connected with criminal enterprises, gun trafficking rings, and far-right extremists.

      By the numbers

      What are the solutions?

      • Background checks are the foundation of any comprehensive gun violence prevention strategy. Current federal law requires that background checks be conducted whenever a person attempts to buy a gun from a licensed gun dealer. This is to ensure that the buyer is not legally prohibited from having the gun. Since federal law began requiring these background checks in 1994, background checks have blocked millions of sales to people with felony convictions or other prohibiting histories.

      • We need stronger policies, targeted interventions, and action from 3D-printing companies to combat the dangers of 3D-printed firearms.

      Featured Resources

      Ghost Guns

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      Did you know?

      In 2020, there was at least one seller in 26 states across the country who was selling the core building blocks for a ghost gun.

      Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund, “Untraceable: The Rising Specter of Ghost Guns,”(2020), https://bit.ly/2Q5DQgp.