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

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The primary suspect in the Thompson assassination is a young man of great privilege, a tech whiz with a promising future now ended by allegedly brandishing a ghost gun outside a New York hotel and taking Thompson’s life. —

Steven Gaydos, Variety, 19 Dec. 2024 Police said Luigi Mangione, who has been charged in connection with Thompson's killing, had a ghost gun in his possession at the time of his arrest. —

Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 17 Dec. 2024 In Pennsylvania, Mangione faces charges including allegedly possessing an untraceable ghost gun. —

Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 16 Dec. 2024 New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Wednesday that the three shell casings found at the scene of Thompson’s shooting in Manhattan matched the ghost gun found on Mangione when he was arrested at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pa., earlier this week. —

Sarah Fortinsky, The Hill, 12 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for ghost gun