Ghost guns
Rockefeller Institute finds police recovered 220 last year, up from 72
Illegal firearms being recovered by law enforcement with increasing frequency./
A policy brief by the Rockefeller Institute of Government confirmed that “ghost guns” are a public safety issue and continue being recovered by law enforcement with increasing frequency, including in New York.
The policy brief for the Rockefeller Institute of Government, a public policy think tank that conducts research and policy analysis, reported that last year police in New York recovered 220 ghost guns — up from 72 in 2019 and 38 in 2018, “a 479 percent increase statewide over the three-year period.”
The Times Union first reported in September 2019 that law enforcement agencies in New York were beginning to see an increase in the number of ghost guns they had recovered, especially in the Syracuse area.
The untraceable firearms, including assaultstyle rifles and semiautomatic handguns, are assembled from kits sold across the nation by online mail-order companies, which exploit a loophole in federal and state gun control laws by providing “unfinished” hardware with the drill bits and instructions — including video tutorials — needed to make a fully functioning firearm.
Less than two weeks after the Times Union’s story was published in 2019, state Attorney General Letitia James sent a letter to 16 ghost gun companies ordering them to cease selling assault weapon kits in New York.
“Assault weapons are illegal in New York, and the sale and/or advertisement of these products violates New York law,” James wrote in the letter. “You are directed to cease the sale and advertisement of these products to residents of New York within five days of the receipt of this notice.”
Ten months later, James’ office said that 17 online “ghost gun” suppliers had ceased selling firearms and firearms components in New York after they were sent the letters that warned they could face civil fines or criminal prosecution for violating state gun laws.
James’ letter had also targeted the sale of “receivers” that are used to make semi-automatic rifles, but did not explicitly instruct the companies — most of which operate through online sites — to cease selling kits used to make handguns.
The increase in self-manufactured guns has taken place as New York’s political leaders, including U.S. Sen. Charles E. Schumer, have focused their legislative efforts largely on strengthening background checks for firearms permits and cutting off easy access to certain weapons. Two years ago in the Syracuse area, police agencies seized 15 ghost guns in six months — including 10 semiautomatic handguns, three semiautomatic rifles, and an illegally modified fully automatic rifle. Last year, those agencies recovered an additional six ghost guns, five of which were semiautomatic handguns, according to data provided by the Onondaga County district attorney’s office.
They have been dubbed ghost guns because the self-manufactured weapons have no serial numbers and are unregistered. Their owners often lack the proper state permits or have not undergone the federal background check needed to legally possess them. And in many instances, they are being illegally resold to convicted felons. Federal law allows someone to make a firearm for personal use, and does not require them to obtain a serial number or to register the weapon. But New York law requires anyone in possession of certain firearms, especially handguns, to obtain a permit and have it registered.
Ghost guns are often obtained by individuals who are prohibited from legally possessing a firearm or seeking to use them for criminal purposes. They cannot be sold or transferred unless the person who owns them has a federal firearms license.