Los Angeles police and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives displayed on Thursday a small arsenal of weapons that authorities seized from gang members during a six-month undercover operation. It’s not unusual for authorities to grab high-power weapons during these types of sweeps. These AR-15-style semiautomatic rifles and pistols were different — homemade, untraceable “ghost guns” without the traditional serial numbers, built from parts purchased over the internet, the Los Angeles Times reports. Authorities are seeing more gangs turn to homemade guns as it becomes more difficult to acquire real ones.
“Criminals are making their own weapons because they cannot buy them legally … or they are paying other people to make those guns for them to get around the gun laws,” said ATF agent Bill McMullan. “This is a trend among Southern California gangs.” Investigators seized 45 firearms and arrested 10 alleged gang members involved in the manufacture and sale of so-called ghost guns to criminals. These weapons are effectively unknown to law enforcement, making them difficult to trace. Ghost guns begin as partially manufactured weapons. A buyer can legally purchase a partial built lower receiver, which is not part of a firearm required to be stamped with a serial number when sold. An unfinished lower receiver can legally be purchased without a serial number as long as it is missing key components that would make it a firearm. The lower receiver then can be completed easily by drilling a few holes into the unfinished metal shell. It is then ready for a barrel, trigger mechanism, stock and upper receiver to be attached. Those forbidden from purchasing a gun, such as felons and those with documented mental health issues, can still buy the partial lower receiver and then buy the other parts of the weapons off the internet.
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The author states the lower can be completed by “drilling a few holes” I don’t know or care where he got his info but it is significantly more involved than that.