👻 What are ghost guns?

Earlier this week, the alleged shooter of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was arrested in rural Pennsylvania.

Police said that the suspect was in possession of a “ghost gun” that may have been made with a 3D printer. (the weapon is pictured below)

What are Ghost Guns?

There are different kinds of ghost guns, but the most basic definition is that they are unlicensed firearms that don’t feature serial numbers.

These two features make them effectively untraceable, arguably making them better for criminals who want to evade capture.

Ghost guns also may be manufactured out of non-metal materials like hard plastics, unlike licensed guns.

There are two ways that ghost guns are typically produced:

1. ‘Gun kits’ that contain full sets of gun parts that need to be assembled

2. 3-D printed guns that are printed from a 3-D gun schematic

Ghost gun kits & efforts to regulate them

Gun kits are purchasable kits that contain all or most of the parts needed to build a gun.

They typically come with instructions and require basic machinic equipment and skills to put together.

These guns, once assembled, are referred to by firearms aficionados as kit guns.

In 2022, the ATF broadened its definition of what a "firearm" is to include ghost guns in response to what an administration official called:

The change did not ban “ghost guns” but instead mandated that:

• manufacturers and sellers of ghost guns obtain licenses,

• include serial numbers on ghost guns, and

• conduct background checks on the people who are trying to buy them

The 3D Printed Gun Movement

In addition to gun kits, there are ways to make your own gun from scratch.

To produce a 3D printed gun, you need:

• a 3D printer and

• a 3D gun schematic 

As 3D printers became more popular and accessible to consumers over the last 15 years, the idea of 3D printing guns spread online.

A group called Defense Distributed created & promoted the first well-known 3D gun schematic, known as The Liberator, starting in 2013.

Wikipedia defines Defense Distributed as:

Defense Distributed, which also shared the first schematic for an AR-15-style semi-automatic rifle, has been involved in a decade-long legal battle with the U.S. government since 2013.

3D gun advocates argue that 3D gun schematics are not only protected by the 2nd Amendment, but that they also constitute protected speech under the 1st Amendment.

On the other hand, government officials say that these guns endanger the public and make it more difficult for law enforcement to do their jobs.

Here is a brief summary:

• 2013: Shortly after they were posted online, the State Department moved to have The Liberator schematics removed from the Internet.

• 2015: Defense Distributed sued the government, claiming that the State Department’s actions violated its 1st, 2nd, and 5th Amendment rights.

• July 2018: The State Department reached a settlement with Defense Distributed.

  • In response, the group re-released its archive of gun schematics online on its DEFCAD website.

• August 2018: A judge blocked the settlement and over a dozen state attorney generals sued to block the settlement on the grounds that making the 3D printed gun schematics widely available would endanger the public.

• 2021: A higher court vacated the lower court decision blocking the settlement.

  • In response, Defense Distributed released its archive once again on DEFCAD.

These and related legal battles have brought unprecedented issues before U.S. courts.

(A popular meme-symbol among open-source 3D gun advocates)

Ghost guns, both in the form of gun kits and 3D printing schematics, are not going away any time soon.

The federal government has continued to litigate the issue, and it is a near certainty that the thorny legal issues relating to the production of ghost guns will continue to occupy the attention of U.S. courts, government officials, and law enforcement in the years to come.

ART OF THE DAY

Newspaper and Fruit Dish by Juan Gris. 1916.