The developer behind the first 3D-printed handgun just released a $1,200 update that lets anyone create an unserialized semi-automatic rifle anywhere.
“Ghost Gunner” is essentially a desktop computer numerical control mill capable of producing the aluminum lower receiver — the part containing the operating parts of an AR-15 — in hours, according to Ars Technica.
The system takes an “80 percent lower,” or partially completed receiver (which is not considered a firearm and can be purchased without registration) and fills in the missing components. Owners can then connect the remaining parts including the stock, barrel and magazine (all of which can be purchased without registration) for a complete, unserialized, unregistered semi-automatic rifle.
The process is not illegal, but not for a lack of trying — the video below advertising the system features clips of a press conference held earlier this year by California Democratic state Sen. Kevin de Leon proposing a bill to outlaw the manufacture and sale of such “ghost guns” without registration, serialization and a background check.
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“The threat of plastic and self-assembled firearms should not be underestimated. There is an emerging industry and market for untraceable and undetectable ghost guns,” Leon said. “There is no way to know if criminals or other dangerous individuals are circumventing firearm laws by making these guns.”
California Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed the bill last Tuesday.
“I appreciate the author’s concern’s about gun violence, but I can’t see how adding a serial number to a homemade gun would significantly advance public safety, ” Brown said according to The Blaze.
Orders for the Ghost Gunner by Defense Distributed sold out at a combined 275 units in two days, The Verge reports. Factoring in the cost of the remaining parts, purchasers can create an AR-15 for roughly $2,000, while the same rifles retail across various manufacturers between over $500 to almost $2,000.