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Number of ghost guns recovered at crime scenes has surged since 2017, study shows
WASHINGTON, Jan 8 (Reuters) - The number of untraceable privately-made "ghost guns" recovered at crime scenes surged nearly 1,600% between 2017 and 2023, according to the results of a new federal gun trafficking study released on Wednesday.
The study's results, announced by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), come after President Joe Biden and Attorney General Merrick Garland in April 2021 directed the agency to oversee a new research initiative to better understand how criminals in the United States obtain their guns.
The study found between 2017 and 2023, 92,702 suspected privately made firearms or "ghost guns," which can be obtained without background checks and do not contain serial numbers, were recovered and reported to law enforcement.
During that same time frame, the number of ghost guns recovered in crimes grew from 1,629 to 27,490, the ATF said. About 1,700 of them have been tied to homicides, while another 4,000 have been linked to a number of other violent crimes.
The recoveries of illicit machine gun conversion devices, which are used to convert semi-automatic weapons into machine guns, also increased 784%, from 658 in 2019 to 5,816 in 2023, the ATF found.
The study's results, announced by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), come after President Joe Biden and Attorney General Merrick Garland in April 2021 directed the agency to oversee a new research initiative to better understand how criminals in the United States obtain their guns.
The study found between 2017 and 2023, 92,702 suspected privately made firearms or "ghost guns," which can be obtained without background checks and do not contain serial numbers, were recovered and reported to law enforcement.
During that same time frame, the number of ghost guns recovered in crimes grew from 1,629 to 27,490, the ATF said. About 1,700 of them have been tied to homicides, while another 4,000 have been linked to a number of other violent crimes.
The recoveries of illicit machine gun conversion devices, which are used to convert semi-automatic weapons into machine guns, also increased 784%, from 658 in 2019 to 5,816 in 2023, the ATF found.
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/number-ghost-guns-recovered-crime-scenes-has-surged-since-2017-study-shows-2025-01-08/
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