ghost guns
Serialless homemade weapons
Ghost guns are firearms without serial numbers, making them untraceable by law enforcement.
They're typically assembled from kits or 3D-printed parts, allowing buyers to bypass background checks and registration requirements.
The term reflects how these weapons exist outside official records—invisible to the system: Police seized several ghost guns during the raid.
Prepared at one's residence
- assemblyConstructing from components
- kitsGrouped items for purpose
- componentsConstituent parts
- blueprintsTechnical construction drawings
machining · receiver · polymer · drilling · milling · gunsmithing · workshop · tools
Impossible to follow back
- unregisteredNot formally recorded
- illegalForbidden by statute
- black marketIllicit trading system
- traffickingIllegal transport for profit
violence · seizure · investigation · proliferation · anonymous · concealment · smuggling · straw purchase
Official rules governing conduct
- banOfficial restriction on something
- ATFFirearms oversight agency
- background checksInvestigation of someone's past
- loopholeExploitable gap in rules
legislation · federal law · state law · enforcement · serial numbers · restrictions · tracing · registration
homemade
Prepared at one's residence
- assemblyConstructing from components
- kitsGrouped items for purpose
- componentsConstituent parts
blueprints · machining · receiver · polymer · drilling · milling · gunsmithing · workshop · tools · lathes
untraceable
Impossible to follow back
- unregisteredNot formally recorded
- illegalForbidden by statute
- black marketIllicit trading system
trafficking · violence · seizure · investigation · proliferation · anonymous · concealment · smuggling · straw purchase · diversion
regulation
Official rules governing conduct
- banOfficial restriction on something
- ATFFirearms oversight agency
- background checksInvestigation of someone's past
loophole · legislation · federal law · state law · enforcement · serial numbers · restrictions · tracing · registration · compliance