Ghost Guns.

When a hand gun is used in a crime it leaves behind " fingerprints " which help law enforcement trace it back to the user.  The bullet or even the cartridge case can identify the weapon and whether it has been used in any other reported crime and the makers serial number will trace the weapon to its original point of sale.

Criminals place high value on what they term a " clean skin " weapon.  One that has not been used in a crime and from which the serial number has been erased, but now the combination of technology and human ingenuity is producing what are termed " ghost guns "  from a " do it yourself " kit.

This kit is delivered to the customer in the form of a sealed hard plastic case, the outer surface of which is marked to indicate where drilling is necessary.  The customer needs an electric drill and a range of drill bit sizes and after drilling where indicated this outer case needs to be destroyed to reveal all the necessary components to construct the gun.

Should the case be X-rayed before the drilling, the contents appear meaningless.  The drilling separates the individual components and the customer has the task of fitting it all together.  It usually takes about two hours to produce a fully functional weapon that lacks any form of identification. This format can produce anything from the Glock 9 mm pistol used by police to the assault rifles used by the military.

Unfortunately, this seems to avoid the lax gun laws in the United States and because they are difficult to identify in their kit form they are being exported to many world countries.  The cost of these ghost guns is comparable with legally produced weapons, but the big attraction to criminals is the ability to access weapons which are totally untraceable.

The other big problem is that these kits can pass through most forms of customs control undetected. The marketing people go to great lengths to present the kits in innocuous form and they may come disguised by passing through a third world country known for high volume toy production.  The sheer volume of imports make individual inspection of each and every item impossible.

Several years ago the invention of 3D printing caused alarm when it was reported that it was possible to produce a working firearm from this method of layered construction.  Samples produced proved the theory but with limitations and this has not become a problem for law enforcement.   The quality of these ghost guns in kit form lacks the fine tolerance of legally manufactured weapons, but they are certainly deadly and open to further refinement n the hands of skilled tradespeople.

Australian criminals can certainly access illegal weapons if they have the money and the main source is rebel bikie gangs.   The danger is that if this ghost gun supply in kit form attains volume we may see guns appearing in the hands of the juvenile gangs that are producing such mayhem in America. At this stage of their development, these gangs here are unarmed.

Ghost guns are a completely new development.  How we deal with this problem awaits resolution !