ghost gun

English

Etymology

From ghost +‎ gun. Derived from the fact that these firearms are unserialized, difficult to trace, and often remain invisible to the tracking and regulation covering traditionally manufactured firearms. First use appears c. 2001 in Sunday People.

Noun

ghost gun (plural ghost guns)

1. A gun without serial numbers that cannot be easily tracked, especially a homemade gun built with nonregistered, partially finished or 3D printed components.
   • 2017 November 27, Christina Caron, quoting Adam Skaggs, “‘Ghost Guns,’ Homemade and Untraceable, Face Growing Scrutiny”, in The New York Times‎, →ISSN:

     The two companies warrant attention because their marketing focuses “on the anonymous, untraceable nature of the guns they allow to be made — and the many examples of ghost guns used in crimes,” Adam Skaggs, chief counsel at the center, said in an email.

   • 2018 July 30, Tiffany Hsu, Alan Feuer, “A Rush to Block Downloadable Plans for 3-D Printed Guns”, in The New York Times‎, →ISSN:

     In New York, state lawmakers announced legislation on Monday that would require makers of ghost guns to have a gunsmith license and register the firearms.

   • 2019 March 18, Nick Corasaniti, “The Target Was a Drug Ring. They Found ‘Ghost Guns.’”, in The New York Times‎, →ISSN:

     The suspects in New Jersey are accused of trying to sell several homemade AR-15 assault-style rifles that are known as ghost guns because they cannot be tracked.

2. A gun that is not detectable by standard gun detection measures, such as a gun without much metal thus unable to set off metal detectors.

Synonyms

• DIY gun
• kit gun

Related terms

• ghost bullet