A ghost gun is a gun without any serial number that is found all over the USA. It is threatening the security of many people. Also, now many people are having these guns. But it is a real threat because any aggressive people with bad motives can use them and create havoc anywhere. As the gun is without a serial number it is known as the ghost gun. The Biden administration is trying to unveil a rule aimed at controlling the production of ghost guns.
These ghost guns are found in the places of crime scenes and their numbers and increasing. So the white house is taking measures to regulate firearms parts. They also are making it a requirement for the gun dealers to put the serial numbers on the ghost guns. This will aid the investigators to solve crimes. But gun groups are saying that this rule is overreaching and it is violating the federal law. Here you can find all the details of Ghost Guns.
What are the ghost guns?
The ghost guns are privately made firearms but no serial numbers are printed on them. The guns are actually created by licensed companies and they put serial numbers in them to easily identify them. It helps the people to track the gun back to the manufacturer. But if the serial numbers are not present on the guns it will be hard to track them.
Nowadays guns without serial numbers are prevalent. This shows that many guns are available from unknown sources so it is hard to track them. The ghost guns are made of different parts and then these are assembled. The main part of creating these types of guns is that it helps in distributing untraceable guns. Some parts of the guns are sold in do-it-yourself kits and the receivers are created with metal or polymer.
The unfinished receiver is known as the “80-per cent receiver”. It can be purchased from online stores in the USA. Also, it can be legally bought online without any serial numbers or other markings. No license is required to sell or procure it. The federal government does not consider the unfinished lower receivers as firearms.
What does the current rule do?
The federal government has changed the definition of the firearms. It will require the firearm dealers to add the serial numbers on the ghost guns that come their way. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for many years has said that the unfinished lower receivers are not meeting the requirements of the legal definition of a firearm. A person can make their firearm if it is for their personal use but they must not sell it. But for opening firearms selling business one must have a federal firearms license.
On the other hand under the new rule, the definition of the firearm will change. It will also include unfinished firearm parts. For instance, the frame of the handgun or the receiver of the long gun will also be considered a firearm. According to the rule, the people having those parts or selling those parts must have a license. They must include the serial numbers on it. Plus the dealers need to run the background checks before they sell it to a customer. They have to consider it like any other commercially made firearm.
This requirement will apply to any firearm no matter how they are produced. It also includes the ghost guns created with the individual parts, kits, or by 3D-printers. This is going to compel the federally licensed dealers and gunsmiths who are dealing with firearms without the serial numbers to print the serial numbers on them.
So they can be sourced and identified easily by the investigators if it becomes necessary. The owner of that gun can also be found easily if there is a serial number. For instance, if someone sells a ghost gun to a pawn broker or a dealer with a license, they have to put a license number on it before selling the gun to others.
How many are using the ghost guns?
Ghost guns are very new but now they are becoming a widespread problem in the USA. This is because many are using them for committing a crime. It has become a nuisance for law enforcement agencies. Many officials have shared many times about the danger of the ghost guns. Plus their numbers are growing in the black market. The federal agents in undercover operations are buying guns from the gang members and also the criminals are seeing them more. So they are sending warning signals to their officials about it.
The ghost guns came to be known to the public in 2013. It all started when a gunman John Zawahri shot six people and killed them at the campus of Santa Monica College in California. He also killed his father and brother in the shooting. This was a tragic incident that was one of the many shooting crimes that the USA experienced over the years. In 2017 a gunman using a ghost gun killed his wife and four others in Northern California.
In 2019 a teenager used a self-made gun with parts he procured and shot two of his classmates and also injured three others at his school. After these incidents, the sale of ghost guns doubled. Many police departments also do not contact the Government to trace the ghost guns they found so it is difficult to say how many are circulating.
Conclusion
The ghost gun crimes are increasing day by day and the Government is taking several measures to stop its illegal distribution.
