Field Guide to Ghost Guns: For Police and Forensic Investigations

The sale and distribution of firearms are illegal under current U.S. law,but home builders and companies have emerged to support individuals who choose to produce their own firearm. This has led to the term "ghost guns," which are firearms whose existence is unknown and untraceable. A Field Guide to Ghost Guns: For Police and Forensic Investigators provides a brief for field investigators on the technical aspects of the self-made firearm, including history, components, assembly, types, and investigative considerations. The book defines terminology, provides photographs, and explains the concepts surrounding homemade firearm in clear, easy-to-understand terms.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 124 pages
Publication date: 17 December 2021
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

While it has always been legal for a citizen in the United States to manufacture their own firearm, the sale and distribution of such items are illegal under current U.S. law. The primary impediment to individuals making their own weapons has been access to the tooling and machinery required to convert raw materials into finished parts for assembly. However, in the last fifteen years, this paradigm has changed drastically. Home builders and companies have emerged to support individuals who choose to produce their own firearm. Kits with receivers and gun components are available for hobbyists, as are 3-D printable gun designs, downloadable from the Internet in some cases. This phenomenon has led to the term "ghost guns": firearms whose existence is not reported to any third party and therefore whose existence is unknown and, largely, untraceable.

A Field Guide to Ghost Guns: For Police and Forensic Investigators provides a useful brief for field investigators on the technical aspects of the self-made firearm, so-called ghost guns. The first book to focus on the emergent issue of ghost guns, coverage addresses the history of firearms making and manufacture in the U.S.—including regulated and nonregulated manufacturing, details firearm components and accessories, how to assemble a Firearm, an overview of common Types of ghost guns, and investigative considerations.

Though there have been increased calls to regulate guns in the wake of numerous mass shootings, the proliferation of ghost guns—and their increasing use in crimes—would likely require additional laws and regulatory measures. Since there are few knowledgeable firearm practitioners in the field, who can render qualified opinions on the subject, author Robb Walker has taken a practical, pragmatic approach to the topic.

Weight: 258g
Dimension: 155 x 235 x 11 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032125305