A ghost gun is a term for a homemade firearm that lacks commercial serial numbers. Because home-manufacturing of firearms for personal use does not fall under the federal government’s authority to regulate interstate commerce, individuals making their own firearms are not subject to federal or state commercial background check regulations. These weapons are difficult to track and can be easily purchased.

If you buy a gun in a store, it would have a traceable serial number, and would require the buyer to pass a background check under federal law.  A ghost gun can circumvent all of that, because it is put together from unfinished, untraceable parts.

Once limited to gun enthusiasts and hobbyists, ghost guns have now become a common staple in violent crimes. Throughout the pandemic, the rise in ghost guns across the country has been startling, and so prevalent it has garnered the attention of the President of the United States.  In Chula Vista, the percentage of recovered weapons classified as ghost guns has risen significantly.

The dashboard below highlights the number of ghost guns recovered across the years.