Concerns over "ghost guns" and their accessibility

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- The interest implicit alleged "ghost guns" continues to grow.

It comes arsenic constabulary accidental one whitethorn person been utilized successful the deadly shooting of United Healthcare CEO, Brian Thompson.

"They're highly dangerous. They are functioning firearms. They're conscionable illegal, and they're hard to track," Cpl. Sean O'Brien with the Clovis Police Department explained.

Those amerciable firearms are privately manufactured and don't person a serial number.

"It's a disposable weapon. They tin perpetrate a transgression with it, get escaped of it, and you tin ne'er hint it backmost to who utilized it," Tony Botti with the Fresno County Sheriff's Office said.

FCSO and Clovis PD accidental amerciable firearms are often used.

"We travel crossed them astir daily," Cpl. O'Brien said. "The accessibility is alternatively easy."

"We're seeing shade guns arsenic a much communal firearm that a transgression has than a regular weapon due to the fact that they are truthful casual to obtain, they're cheap, they're disposable to not hint backmost to who you are," Botti stated.

These guns tin beryllium bought premade online oregon arsenic kits to enactment unneurotic astatine home.

"A novice idiosyncratic tin instrumentality a fewer tools and assemble 1 of these guns nary problem," Botti explained.

"These firearms tin beryllium produced utilizing 3D printers," Cpl. O'Brien said. "The accusation is retired determination if idiosyncratic takes the time, but it is illegal."

Earlier this year, California's Department of Justice released a report indicating advancement with cracking down connected shade guns.

In 2013, the fig of recovered shade guns reported to the DOJ successful Fresno County was two. It continued to turn each year, reaching 78 by 2020. The adjacent year, that fig jumped to a precocious of 221. By 2022, it dropped somewhat to 204 and 142 successful 2023.

The DOJ credits assorted instrumentality enforcement actions, litigation, and authorities from 2022 to 2023 for the driblet successful shade guns.

However, the interest remains.

"Those are conscionable the ones that we've found. There's inactive a batch retired determination successful the community," Botti said.

More laws person been passed this twelvemonth to combat the issue, but FCSO says it volition instrumentality clip to spot the effects.

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