"Extremely Dramatic Increase" - Ghost Gun Seizures Up 400% In Baltimore City

The Baltimore Police Department said it saw a sharp increase last year in recoveries of so-called “ghost guns,” untraceable firearms that can be built from kits and are once again drawing the attention of state lawmakers.

Baltimore Police Lt. Col. John Herzog told legislators Wednesday that city police recovered 126 ghost guns last year, compared to 29 seized in 2019. The amount of ghost guns seized in Baltimore last year was more than the total number of ghost guns seized statewide in 2019, when 117 were recovered.

“That’s an extremely dramatic increase,” Herzog said. “We know they are becoming more popular for criminals and gun traffickers.”

Ghost guns, termed “privately assembled firearms” by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, are legal for people to own and possess — unless they are prohibited from possessing firearms — and are typically ordered as kits online. According to the ATF, assembling a parts kit into a functional firearm can take as little as one hour with minimal effort, expertise and equipment, and they use the same type of ammunition as a traditional firearm.




Maryland legislators have introduced a bill in the General Assembly that seeks to require serial numbers and registration for such firearms.
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