In one year, 25,000 of these ghost weapons were seized by the authorities, but it is impossible to know how many remain in circulation in the United States today.
While these 3D printed rifles and pistols are involved in one in fifteen gun crimes, several states and some American cities have decided to ban them.
Follow the full coverage
The 2024 US presidential election
A gun epidemic. In the United States, “ghost guns” have become the new fear of the American authorities. Without serial numbers, and therefore untraceable, these kit pistols and rifles, to be manufactured with the help of a 3D printer, nevertheless prove to be just as lethal as traditional weapons. Over the past year, no less than 25,000 homemade weapons designed at home have been seized by the American police. The latter are today involved in one in fifteen firearm crimes on the other side of the Atlantic, a figure that is constantly increasing. On the other side of the Atlantic, obtaining this type of firearm is within the reach of almost anyone.
The proof: in a few clicks, our correspondent in the United States was able to buy one of these pistols for the modest sum of 315 dollars, or a little less than 300 euros. To do this, all he had to do was go to a reseller’s website and enter the usual information for an online purchase: name, first name, delivery address, bank card number. No request about a possible criminal record, nor even about possible mental health problems or the nationality of the buyer, when only American citizens are supposed to be able to buy them, in theory.
The American startup Defense Distributed, from whom we ordered, is based in Austin, in the state of Texas, where firearms laws are the most lax in the country. After placing an order online, the buyer receives a kit with the elements to assemble and all they have to do is follow the instructions to make their own weapon. “All you will find in the package are the non-regulated parts. Then, we add [une] USB stick with instructions for making [le pistolet]. It is the only part to be printed in 3D, because it is subject to regulations” says Cody Wilson, founder and CEO of Defense Distributed.
Cody Wilson, l’artisan des “ghost guns”
In the report at the top of this article, an employee of the startup Defense Distributed shows us the different steps to follow to manufacture this pistol. First, a 3D printer first makes the gun frame from thermoplastics. Then we move on to editing. In the expert hands of a well-versed employee, the weapon is operational in just two minutes. “It costs between 500 and 600 euros. So, it’s more expensive than in stores, but people are willing to pay more as long as it remains untraceable.“, underlines the boss of the company in the report.
At the entrance to the production site, there is a fake grave with the inscription “Here lies the American law on weapons”. Because more than a businessman, Cody Wilson is an activist who advocates total freedom in terms of weapons. He is known in the United States for having been the first in 2013 to present a semi-automatic pistol made entirely of plastic, except for the metal striker, which he named the “Liberator”, after the name of the parachuted single-shot weapons. by the Allies in the countries occupied by Germany during the Second World War.
We encounter more and more hostility. And so, it’s not as profitable as it used to be. There are too many legal obstacles.
Cody Wilson, founder and CEO of Defense Distributed.
“We encounter more and more hostility. And so, it’s not as profitable as it used to be. There are too many legal obstacles. And so, there are plenty of companies that have thrown in the towel. But I don’t do it for the money. For me, it’s an ideological fight“, argues this anarchist activist in front of our camera. Faced with the proliferation of these DIY firearms, American legislation was strengthened in August 2022, requiring firearms dealers and gunsmiths to hold a federal license to include a serial number for 3D printed weapons.
“Ghost guns” are difficult to trace and greatly complicate the work of investigators. “We start with interrogations. Where did you get this weapon? How did you pay for it? Then we trace the trail and try to identify who made them. And we try to pursue these people“, explains Zachary O’Lare, deputy chief of the Bureau of Investigations and Forensics of Prince George’s County in Maryland, interviewed in the report. This is the reason why several American states and certain cities have chosen to to forbid.
-
Read also
Carrying weapons in the United States: has Kamala Harris made an about-face in the space of a few days?
But it is impossible to know how many remain in circulation in the United States today. During an interview on the channel CBSKamala Harris claimed to have a weapon in her home, a position that contrasts with her desire to regulate firearms. This strategy could, however, attract more voters. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has unsurprisingly received support from the National Rifle Association, the gun lobby. “Kamala Harris is an existential threat to the Second Amendment and supports gun confiscation”headlined an NRA article published last summer.
