Cooler but still well above normal this week

MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all. 

Turn Up Your Support

 in the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, was carrying a "ghost gun" at the time of his arrest, authorities said.

The 26-year-old was "in possession of a ghost gun that had the capability of firing a 9 millimeter round" when he was arrested in Altoona, Penn., on Monday, New York Police Department (NYPD) Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said at a 

The NYPD said the gun, which is "consistent with the weapon used in the murder," may have been made on a 3D printer.

"I have no tolerance, nor should anyone, for one man using an illegal ghost gun to murder someone because he thinks his opinion matters most," Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said on Monday.

Ghost guns, also known as privately made firearms, are 

, either from scratch or through weapon parts kits. They are not marked with serial numbers, making them easy for criminals to acquire and difficult, if not impossible, for law enforcement to trace.

The Department of Justice Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said in 2022 that within the previous five years, it was only able to successfully trace 0.98 percent of suspected "ghost guns" back to their individual purchaser.

Over the last decade, a growing number of ghost guns have been recovered from crime scenes across the U.S., worrying many authorities. They 

 in homicides, domestic violence, robberies, killings of law enforcement officers, mass shootings and school shootings, including one that wounded two kindergarteners at a Northern California religious school 

The advocacy organization Everytown for Gun Safety has 

 "the fastest growing gun safety problem in the country."

While it is legal in the U.S. to build a firearm for personal use, the Biden administration, as well as 

, have tried with varying degrees of success to regulate ghost guns.

There are several main methods for assembling a ghost gun, a process that 

 say can take less than an hour and costs only a few hundred dollars.

 — with the instruction manuals and videos easily available online — to create some or most of the parts from scratch.

People can also buy the necessary components online, either piece by piece or all together in what are called buy-build-shoot kits.

'Buy-build-shoot kits are weapon parts kits that are essentially pre-manufactured, [disassembled], complete firearms (a firearm in a box)," the U.S. 

It was legal for retailers to sell those kits without running background checks until 2022, when the Justice Department 

 aimed at curbing the growing use of ghost guns in crimes.

Ghost guns have been around in the U.S. at least since the 1990s, but have proliferated over the last decade or so. 

The ATF says it received approximately 45,000 reports of suspected ghost guns recovered by law enforcement in criminal investigations between January 2016 and December 2021. Of those investigations, 692 involved homicides or attempted homicides.

Data from the bureau shows the number of suspected ghost guns 

 over that period, from 1,758 in 2016 to 19,344 in 2021.

State- and city-specific data also sheds light on the growing prevalence of ghost guns in recent years.

 shows that 8,340 ghost guns were recovered in the state in 2023, compared to just three in 2013.

Philadelphia police recovered 575 ghost guns in 2022, reporting a

 in their use since 2019. The NYPD reported that officers seized 

"They are extremely dangerous and we must do more on the federal level to clamp down on the availability of ghost guns," New York City Mayor Eric Adams said at Monday's briefing.

Private U.S. citizens are allowed to build guns for personal use under the Gun Control Act of 1968.

Even so, some state and federal authorities are taking steps to crack down on ghost guns.

 to regulate them, with many requiring serial numbers and background checks for component parts, and others — including New York — going a step further by requiring ghost guns to be reported to authorities.

In 2022, a Justice Department rule took effect that made weapons parts kits subject to the 

 as traditional firearms, including requiring commercial sellers to become federally licensed, mark certain parts with serial numbers and run background checks on purchasers.

The rule also aims to regulate some of the ghost guns already in circulation, by requiring federally licensed dealers and gunsmiths to put serial numbers on any guns they take into inventory that don't already have them, before selling them to another customer.

"If you commit a crime [with a] ghost gun, not only are state and local prosecutors going to come after you, but expect federal charges and federal prosecution as well," President 

Kit manufacturers and sellers challenged the rule in court, arguing the ATF exceeded its authority. The U.S. Supreme Court 

 in place pending litigation and heard the case in October. 

It has not yet made a decision, though NPR's Nina Totenberg reported that the 

Crime, Law and Justice

Homepage

Rachel Treisman

Author

Police say the suspect had a ghost gun, possibly made with a 3D printer, when he was arrested on Monday. Here's what to know about the increasingly widespread weapons and efforts to regulate them.

Police say UnitedHealthcare's CEO was likely killed with a ghost gun. What are they?

Go Deeper.

Like this?

News you can use in your inbox