MAYWOOD, Ill. – They’re untraceable and on their way to becoming illegal.
Cook County Sheriff Thomas Dart announced proposed legislation on Thursday that would ban the sale and possession of ghost guns.
Ghost guns are homemade firearms that have no markings and cannot be traced. They are often made using 3-D printers or with kits sold on the internet without background checks.
“The notion that somehow we need to have guns like this, that have no markings on them, no serial numbers, no ability to be traced – is absurd,” he said. “The last thing we need in our community right now is not just more guns, but guns that can’t be traced,” he said.
Sheriff Dart said only a criminal would need a ghost gun, so banning them is common-sense legislation.
“Why anybody would ever think there is a useful purpose behind having guns that are untraceable, I can’t imagine unless you have some criminal intent,” he said.
“There is no other type of reason to have this gun with no markings on it unless you’re going to be committing an offense.”
Dart said there were no ghost guns two years ago, but his office has confiscated almost 20 ghost guns this year alone.
“Everywhere around the country, they are seeing the same thing. That the numbers are going up by the 100 percentile. Not one or two additional guns. They’re seeing more and more and more of them,” he said.