ghost gun

noun

plural ghost guns

: a gun that lacks a serial number by which it can be identified and that is typically assembled by the user (as from purchased or homemade components)

Ghost guns, cobbled together with various parts often purchased separately, are popular among hobbyists and firearms enthusiasts.

—St. Louis Post-Dispatch

The issue centers on so-called ghost guns, which consist of untraceable parts that can be ordered online and then, with a little finishing work, assembled into a working firearm.

—Los Angeles Times

Even so, they haven't been outlawed; buying or selling a ghost gun is illegal, but making one remains kosher under US gun control laws.

—Andy Greenberg

Examples of ghost gun in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The guns seized included untraceable, build-them-at-home ghost guns and firearms featuring devices that convert semi-automatic weapons into machine guns, said Toni M. Crosby, special agent in charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ Baltimore Field Division. —Alex Mann, Baltimore Sun, 25 Nov. 2024

And that means that going forward, all guns could become ghost guns. —Devin Dwyer, ABC News, 8 Oct. 2024

Cases of death and injury including minors and ghost guns have made the news in recent years, including teenagers and minors as young as 12 years old accidentally injuring or killing themselves or others with ghost guns. —Katharina Buchholz, Forbes, 8 Oct. 2024

There’s no doubt that ghost guns pose a public safety hazard. —Noah Feldman, The Mercury News, 15 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

2012, in the meaning defined above