Latest ‘Ghost Gun’ Claims Have Tons of Problems

Ages ago, I owned an AK-47 clone. I built it from a kit I purchased along with a less than 80 percent receiver I bought, then took it to a build party with some friends and got a great gun out of the deal as well as a fun day.

This was long before so-called ghost guns were the scourge of the world. No one had even heard the term and a few years later, when we did, we laughed at it and for good reason.

Now, though, the term is everywhere. What’s more, rules got put in place–without Congress, it should be noted–to supposedly stem the tide.

And it seems that we’re getting some mixed signals on the efficacy of those restrictions.

First, we have those claiming that the rules are working out great.

A Biden administration rule passed the following year now blocks teenagers and people who can’t pass a background check from buying the kits. But manufacturers and gun-rights groups pushed back in court, and on Tuesday the Supreme Court will hear arguments on whether the regulation will stand.

“The court’s conservative majority may come in somewhat skeptical of ATF’s reach here, both as a federal agency and as a matter of gun rights,” said Timothy Lytton, a professor at Georgia State University College of Law, referring to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

The number of ghost guns around the country has soared in recent years, going from fewer than 4,000 in 2018 to nearly 20,000 recovered at crime scenes in 2021, according to Justice Department data. Since the regulation went into effect, several cities report the number of privately made firearms recovered at crime scenes has flattened or declined….

“We’ve seen them drop pretty significantly off the radar, I think, because of that regulation,” said Adam Garber, executive director of the gun violence prevention group CeaseFirePA, based in Philadelphia, where a mass shooting carried out with an AR-15-style ghost gun left five people dead.

“In Baltimore, a city long plagued by gun violence, ghost gun recoveries have dropped last year for the first time since 2019, according to court documents.

Interesting.

I don’t see why the numbers would drop. Yes, the Biden administration issued an executive order, but all that really happened was instead of buying everything in a single, easy-to-order kit that met all your needs, you had to click “add to cart” more than once.

That’s literally it. That’s all that changed.

But if the numbers look to be going down, they look to be going down. Granted, crime is down across the board, so that might have a lot to do with that.

However, California Attorney General Rob Bonta didn’t get the whole message.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta calls ghost guns in the state a crisis. However, a new report published in October shows solutions are moving communities in a promising direction.

“We have made significant progress here in California,” Bonta said at a news conference Wednesday. “We’ve been able to really move the needle when it comes to our ghost guns.”

So he’s acknowledging the numbers are down, but he’s saying it’s still a crisis.

I’m amused and amazed at how two completely different stories are hitting the same talking points.

First, was it ever that bad in the first place? No, it wasn’t. I took a look at the numbers earlier this week. Based on the total number of “ghost guns” recovered at crime scenes, you’re looking at about two percent of the guns used in crime–and it might be lower since “crime scenes” were the metric and that doesn’t mean violent crime. Just arresting someone for carrying a gun illegally is still a crime scene.

And while those numbers might be down, there are still no rules prohibiting people from buying so-called ghost gun parts, including incomplete receivers. Those aren’t categorized as guns, so they’re not subject to regulation and never will be. There always has to be a line and someone will be happy to walk right up to it but not cross it. That’s what these incomplete receivers are.

You can still get those and every other part needed to turn it into a functional firearm is available as aftermarket parts for more traditionally manufactured guns. There’s nothing at all stopping criminals from making so-called ghost guns.

So why are the numbers down?

Well, as noted already, there are numerous reports saying crime is down.

Further, we have a lot of talk about the numbers being down, but there’s a profound lack of actual numbers at the federal level. We know how many were recovered in 2022, but not the total number of guns, so we lack context there. Now, though, we’re not seeing any actual numbers at all for most locations.

In California, we’re seeing some, but again, there’s no context at all. Are gun recoveries down overall? Are the percentages of “ghost guns” down relative to other guns?

As per usual, the anti-gun advocates make pronouncements that the media takes as gospel, and reports as if they’re fact, but then fail to even bother to look for data to prove or disprove the claim.