Why ghost guns are America's fastest-growing gun problem

 Ghost guns are coming under fire from gun-control advocates. But why are these weapons so difficult to trace? And can anything be done to keep them from getting into the wrong hands?

Manuel Yambo had never known about a "phantom" firearm until his 16-year-old little girl was killed by one.

A call that every parent dreads came while he was at home getting ready for work. His girl Angellyh had been hit by a wanderer projectile close to her school. Before he could get to the clinic, one more call came in: She was no more. He didn't completely accept that it until he saw her for himself.

Angellyh was just sixteen when she celebrated her birthday by dancing with her father while wearing a pink gown and a crown.

Mr. Yambo recalls, "Angellyh, she was funny, she came out like me."

He was informed by authorities that the 17-year-old suspect used a ghost gun, which is a privately manufactured firearm that cannot be traced and is not registered. Nowadays, firearm components can be purchased without a background check by anyone with internet access. In less than an hour, you can assemble the components into a fully functional firearm using only basic tools, according to online tutorials.

Mr. Yambo told the BBC, "I was just in shock how easy it was to get it." You would think things like that, you can't simply arrange maybe it was a toy."

    Angellyh had just turned 16 when she was killed by a ghost gun, her father Manuel Yambo says

Experts are calling ghost guns the fastest-growing gun safety problem in America. The number of ghost guns recovered from crime scenes by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), has risen by more than 1,000% since 2017.

In New York City, where Mr Yambo lives, the NYPD seized the first ghost gun back in 2018, recovering 17 in total that year. In 2019, it was 50. By 2020, the number was 150. And then in 2021, it was up to 275.

At the ATF's National Integrated Ballistic Information Network facility in Washington, DC, ballistic evidence is evaluated and matched to crime scenes from across the country. But without serial numbers on the gun frames, it is virtually impossible to trace ghost guns and track down dealers who are selling guns illegally to minors or to people without proper firearm licenses.

"Pretty much anyone can get these ghost guns and order parts and make a gun that's just as well as the guns we carry," ATF officer Jerome McClinton told the BBC.

Last August, new regulations introduced by the Biden administration came into effect that say key products used to make ghost guns qualify as traditional firearms, and thus must include serial numbers. Those components include commonly sold, pre-packaged ghost gun kits that are easily converted into firearms, as well as functional "frames" or "receivers".

"This rule will make it harder for criminals and other prohibited persons to obtain untraceable guns," said Attorney General Merrick Garland at the time. "It will help to ensure that law enforcement officers can retrieve the information they need to solve crimes. And it will help reduce the number of untraceable firearms flooding our communities."

There are also bans on ghost guns in about a dozen states. But David Pucino, the deputy chief counsel at the Giffords Law Center, a gun-control advocacy group, said the new regulations aren't comprehensive enough because they don't cover all parts that can be used to make a ghost gun, such as some "unfinished" frames or receivers. He also said that without a national framework, gun traffickers can simply move ghost guns from states where they are legal to states where they are banned.

In October, a group of senators asked the ATF to provide a report on enforcement of the law, but the agency has told Congress it is worried more robust action would lose in court, after several rulings by the Supreme Court affirming the Second Amendment broadly protects gun owners from restrictions.

Ghost guns are being referred to by experts as the issue with gun safety in the United States that is expanding at the fastest rate. Since 2017, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) has found more than 1,000% more ghost guns at crime scenes.

The first ghost gun was seized by the NYPD in 2018 in New York City, where Mr. Yambo resides, and 17 more were recovered that year. It was 50 in 2019. 150 were there by 2020. After that, it reached 275 in 2021.

Ballistic evidence is compared to crime scenes from all over the country at the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network facility in Washington, DC, which is operated by the ATF. Be that as it may, without chronic numbers on the weapon outlines, it is practically difficult to follow apparition firearms and find vendors who are selling firearms wrongfully to minors or to individuals without appropriate gun licenses.

"Essentially anybody can get these phantom firearms and request parts and make a firearm that is similarly as well as the firearms we convey," ATF official Jerome McClinton told the BBC.

Last August, new guidelines presented by the Biden organization happened that say key items used to make phantom weapons qualify as conventional guns, and in this manner should incorporate chronic numbers. These components include functional "frames" or "receivers" and commonly available, pre-packaged ghost gun kits that can be easily converted into firearms.

"This standard will make it harder for lawbreakers and other precluded people to get untraceable weapons," said Principal legal officer Merrick Laurel at that point. " It will aid in ensuring that law enforcement personnel can access the data they require to solve crimes. Also, it will assist with lessening the quantity of untraceable guns flooding our networks."

There are likewise restrictions on phantom weapons in around twelve states. However, the Giffords Law Center's deputy chief counsel, David Pucino, stated that the new regulations are not sufficient because they do not cover all components that can be used to construct a ghost gun, such as some "unfinished" frames or receivers. Additionally, he asserted that without a national framework, gun traffickers would be able to simply transport ghost guns between states where they are legal and those where they are prohibited.

A group of senators requested that the ATF provide a report on the law's enforcement in October. However, the agency has informed Congress that it is concerned that more aggressive action would be rejected by the courts due to several Supreme Court rulings affirming that the Second Amendment broadly protects gun owners from restrictions.

Apparition firearms are additionally turning into a worldwide issue, even in nations with tight limitations on weapons. Some are being smuggled out of the country, like gun parts that are sent directly to Mexico, where there is concern that cartels might use them. According to Mr. Pucino, ghost guns have been produced using 3D printers in Western Europe.

The ATF has expressed concern that the American trend of ghost guns could spread abroad.

According to Charlie Patterson, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF, "I would say that if ghost guns has not been an issue for those other countries, then it is probably going to be eventually."

    New York officials have made cracking down on illegal ghost guns a priority

The increasing number of ghost guns has unavoidably prompted a closer look at the various manufacturers. In 2022, the attorney general of New York filed a lawsuit against a number of online retailers for allegedly selling illegal frames and receivers that were not finished or unsealed. In that lawsuit, a New York court issued an injunction in January, effectively removing ghost guns from the state market.

The majority of criticism from lawmakers across the nation has been directed at Polymer80, the largest manufacturer of ghost guns in the United States.

In addition, the business was fined $4 million (£3.2 million) by Washington, DC, for violating consumer protection laws by claiming that its weapons are legal in the District and selling illegal guns to DC customers.

    Ghost gun manufacturer Polymer80 says ghost guns are not to blame for gun deaths

However, Polymer80 co-founder Loran Kelly referred to the concerns regarding ghost guns as a "myth" and a "divisive non-issue." He claims that other lawsuits are frivolous and is appealing the DC decision. He likewise got a triumph in Nevada, where his organization is based, when an adjudicator struck down pieces of the state's phantom firearm boycott, referring to them as "illegally obscure".

Mr. Kelly argued that ghost guns account for only a small portion of the weapons that are retrieved by law enforcement. The ATF found 460,024 guns in 2021, while 19,273 guns went missing.

Despite the fact that Mr. Kelly indicated that he felt for the family of Angellyh, he was personally opposed to any government regulation of firearms based on his interpretation of the Second Amendment right to bear arms.

He excused measurements, for example, those that show guns are the main source of death for American kids and youngsters, as overlooking what's really important.

He stated, "People need to separate violence and guns in their minds."

"The source of this (violence) is if we have troubled children or people who feel disenfranchised in this country, which we do in abundance,"

Angellyh's family does not make this distinction; Mr. Yambo established a foundation to assist those affected by gun violence and placed the blame for her death on the manufacturers.

"For whom were these guns designed? To avoid detection by the Department of Justice and the ATF, why were they sold as parts? He pressed.