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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. Thousands of suspected privately made firearms (i.e., ghost guns) are recovered by law enforcement every year.1ATF, “National Firearms Commerce and Trafficking Assessment (NFCTA), Volume IV: Protecting America from Trafficked Firearms—Part V: Privately Made Firearms Updates and New Analysis,” January 2025, https://www.atf.gov/sites/default/files2/nfcta_volume_iv_-_part_v_0.pdf. 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 was challenged in court, and in March 2025, the United States Supreme Court upheld the rule in Bondi v. VanDerStok. . States should also take 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?

      17 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, background checks for barrels, all ghost guns must be reported to officials, license required to print 3D gun, 3D printers sold must be equipped with technology to stop 3D printed guns

      Ghost Guns Regulated

      Colorado has adopted this policy

      What does the state law require?
      Serial numbers for component parts; no 3D printing of guns.

      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 adopted this policy

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

      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; 3D printers sold must be equipped with technology to stop 3D printed guns; no distribution of 3D printing instructions

      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 adopted this policy

      What does the state law require?
      Serial numbers for all firearms and finished and unfinished frames and receivers, no undetectable firearms, no 3D printing of 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, no 3D printing of guns, regulation of digital gun blueprints

      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 3D-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 on All Gun Sales

        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.1Everytown Research analysis of Connor Brooks, “Background Checks for Firearm Transfers, 2019–2020,” US Bureau of Justice Statistics, November 2023, https://bjs.ojp.gov/document/bcft1920.pdf, and data obtained by FBI FOIA requests, 2021–2024. Though the majority of the transactions and denials reported by the FBI and BJS are associated with a firearm sale or transfer, a small number may be for concealed-carry permits and other reasons not related to a sale or transfer.

      • Stop the Spread of 3D-Printed Guns

        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?

      A study of crime gun recoveries in 20 US cities found that law enforcement recoveries of 3D-printed guns increased from 32 in 2020 to 325 in 2024—a 916 percent increase.

      Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund, “Who is Manufacturing the Guns Used in Crimes? City-Level Data on Crime Gun Recoveries,” December 16, 2025, https://everytownresearch.org/report/city-level-data-crime-gun-recoveries/.