What are Ghost Guns?

Ghost Guns are unserialized (and therefore untraceable) firearms that are put together by components purchased either as a kit or as separate pieces. These firearms are fully functioning guns that are as lethal as a fully finished, serialized firearm.

Unserialized. Untraceable. Unregulated.

Ghost guns are fully functioning firearms that can be constructed by ANYONE using unfinished frames or receivers. Frames and receivers are the pieces of the firearm that contain the operating parts of the firing mechanism, and are the part of the gun regulated under federal law. But when a frame or receiver is “unfinished” by a certain amount, it has historically been unregulated, meaning it can be sold without a background check and without serialization. This also means law enforcement would have no way to trace the gun’s origin when recovered at crime scenes. These unfinished frames or receivers are then easily “finished,” and alongside other parts, can be assembled into a fully functioning gun. Before the Biden-Harris administration rule went into effect, ghost gun kits and parts were intentionally marketed as unregulated and untraceable to appeal to those who want to avoid background checks and/or cannot legally possess firearms, including minors, domestic abusers, and gun traffickers. 

How Easy is it to Build a Ghost Gun?

If you can assemble Ikea furniture, you can build a fully functional firearm in under an hour. Prior to the federal rule change (see below) ghost gun kits and parts were relatively cheap and could be used to assemble handguns and AR-15-style assault weapons alike.

Ghost gun kits include all of the necessary component parts to turn an unfinished “frame” or “receiver” into a fully functioning gun. And ghost gun parts can be easily converted into fully functioning firearms due to the availability of associated parts, templates, and instructions online.