Ghost Gun Statistics By Trends And Impacts (2026)

Introduction

Ghost Gun Statistics: A ghost gun is a weapon that requires no background checks and can be built at home using basic instructions. The year 2025 marks the point at which ghost guns evolved from niche enthusiast projects to a danger that requires public safety measures and government regulations across the United States and other countries. The existence of these weapons is not what makes them dangerous to society; they spread rapidly beyond the control of standard regulatory systems and police monitoring methods

This article provides current Ghost Gun statistics to demonstrate how their numbers have increased, while their untraceable weapons create critical issues for gun violence research and policy development and public safety efforts.

Editor’s Choice

1. In 2025, fifteen states in the United States implemented special laws to control ghost guns.
2. Between 2017 and 2023, law enforcement authorities seized 92702 suspected privately made firearms (PMFs).
3. The 2022–2023 recovery total of 54722, which exceeded the previous five-year period by 44%, represents the second-highest recovery total ever documented.
4. Between 2000 and 2022, the production of PMF devices grew at an approximate 6600% rate.
5. The recovery of machine gun conversion devices (MCDs) increased by 784% from 2019 to 2023.
6. The year 2023 saw the seizure of 5816 MCDs, which made up 52% of total recoveries that occurred during the previous five-year period.
7. People who belong to the 18 to 34 age range hold more than 60% of the tracked PMF ownership rights.
8. The two main methods for PMF trafficking involve unlicensed private dealing, which accounts for 63.9%, and unlicensed manufacturing, which accounts for 62.5%.

What Are Ghost Guns – And Why They Matter

• Ghost guns exist as firearms that people create through personal production or assembly work using 3D printing and kit-based components because these weapons lack any serial numbers, which would enable their traceable identification.
• The weapons have become popular among people who face legal restrictions for firearm ownership because minor components of the weapons can be bought online without any background checks, which permit anyone to build a complete weapon.
• The situation creates urgent problems for law enforcement agencies, policymakers, and organizations dedicated to public safety and everyone who lives in areas where gun violence occurs.

U.S. States Enacted Regulations Addressing Ghost Guns

(Source: statista.com)

• The Supreme Court case about ghost guns marks a crucial moment in the developing relationship between gun laws, technological advancements, and government control.
• The law enforcement community has seen a rise in stolen homemade guns, which people create without serial numbers from DIY kits.
• The Biden administration’s new regulation mandates that companies selling gun parts must use serial numbers and perform background checks, which brings them in line with standard procedures for selling firearms.
• The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives ATF creates new regulations through its current operations, according to manufacturers and gun rights organizations who oppose its actions.
• Supporters argue that ghost guns need regulation because current rules allow minors and banned people to access these weapons without restrictions.
• 15 states in the United States have created new laws that control the use of ghost guns.
• Washington, New York, and New Jersey all implement bans on weapons that people cannot detect, while California and Maryland, together with five other states, create new rules on gun reporting.
• Delaware and New Jersey have additional laws that control how people can share 3D-printing information.
• The ruling establishes new power relations between federal and state governments while establishing new rules for controlling emerging firearm technologies across the United States.

Ghost Gun Recoveries

(Source: smokinggun.org)

• The period from 2019 to 2023 saw a significant surge in machine gun conversion device (MCD) recoveries, which demonstrated an increasing threat from firearms.
• Law enforcement agencies recovered 11,088 MCDs during these five years, with 5,816 devices seized in 2023 alone, accounting for more than 52% of the total recoveries.
• The reported 784% increase highlights exponential growth rather than incremental change, indicating both rising circulation and intensified enforcement efforts.
• Many of these devices, including so-called “Glock switches,” are designed to convert semi- automatic Glock-style pistols into fully automatic weapons, which enables the weapons to fire at a higher rate.
• The current trend of firearm modification technologies shows increasing accessibility to criminal investigators when viewed together with Ghost gun statistics.
• The annual trajectory—rising from low thousands in 2019 to record-breaking figures by 2022 and 2023—signals compounding risk.
• Ghost gun statistics suggest that tightening regulatory focus will likely expand beyond
  unserialized firearms to include conversion components that dramatically enhance the weapon’s lethality.

Top 10 Ghost Gun Recovered

(Source: smokinggun.org)

• According to Smoking Gun reports, the data from crime gun recovery research, which tracked gun recoveries between 2022 and 2023, shows that only a few gun manufacturers, together with select gun calibers, account for most recovered firearms.
• The Glock 9mm pistol stands as the most common recovered firearm because its 119,483 recoveries count for 11.5 % of all crime guns.
• Taurus follows with 85,450 recoveries (8.2%), while Smith & Wesson 9mm pistols account for 49,716 (4.8%), reinforcing the dominance of compact, high-capacity handguns.
• The top ten firearms deliver more than 40 % of all crime gun recoveries, which demonstrates how customers tend to stick with specific brands and follow established patterns of product usage.
• Glock’s additional presence with 47,101 recovered .40 calibre pistols (4.5%) further cements its dominant footprint.
• The presence of Polymer80 9mm pistols, which recorded 21,122 recoveries, represents an essential factor since these guns support unlicensed firearm manufacturing through their unserialized DIY builds.
• The evidence directly establishes a connection between Ghost gun statistics and the increasing presence of privately assembled firearms within law enforcement confiscations.

Recoveries Of Ghost Guns Across U.S. Cities

• According to Everytown Research & Policy, the recovery data for ghost guns shows a dramatic increase during the last ten years, especially in California and other states that have large populations.
• The statewide recovery total increased from three reported cases in 2013 to 10,877 cases during 2021 before dropping to 8,340 cases in 2023.
• The growth curve demonstrates how swiftly ghost guns became available in the black market firearm trade before authorities started enforcing stricter regulations.
• The police in Los Angeles recovered 1232 ghost guns during 2023, which represented a 28% decrease from the previous year’s 1706 ghost gun seizures.
• Boston reported 304 ghost guns,s which accounted for 10 % of all weapons taken by police, while Rochester, New York registered 86 gun recoveries.
• Baltimore authorities had taken 169 ghost guns by mid-2024 because ongoing law enforcement activities had continued to take place.
• All research studies demonstrate that smaller jurisdictions show the same effects as larger areas.
• Poughkeepsie found that 25% of illegal handguns recovered were ghost guns, and Springfield, MA, seized 13 ghost guns among 40 illegal firearms.
• The ghost gun statistics demonstrate that police agencies increased their activities while running operations against street crime, which involved unserialized firearms that have expanded into urban areas across the entire nation.

Rapid Evolution Of The Privately Made Firearms (PMF) Market

• The PMF market has undergone fundamental base changes during its development path, which have created new market conditions.
• The PMF market first emerged when people started building their weapons from components, which consisted of semi-automatic pistol assembly kits that followed a buy-build-shoot model.
• The production of untraceable firearms through untraceable firearm assembly began to grow on a huge scale, which led to a 6600 % market increase between 2000 and 2022.
• The number of kit-based recoveries decreased by 36 % between 2022 and 2023, yet law enforcement authorities now discover rising violations which involve 3D-printed firearms and machine gun conversion devices (MCDs).
• Police departments in North America took 92702 suspected PMFs during the five years between 2017 and 2023.
• The 2022-2023 recovery period saw 54,722 recoveries, which exceeded the previous five-year total of 37,980 by 44 %, which indicates that both production has increased and detection methods have become more accurate.
• The yearly recovery rates for Pistol-type PMFs rose from 4509 cases between 2017 and 2021 to 18197 cases between 2022 and 202,3 which represents a fourfold increase.
• The demographic data shows that individuals aged 18 to 24 years make up 32.6 % of tracked owners,s while people aged 25 to 34 years account for 28.2 %, which results in more than 60% of the population being under 35 years old.
• The percentage of owners who are younger than 25 years old increased from 33% to 39%, which represents an 18% rise in their relative numbers.
• California holds the top position for PMF recoveries, while Florida contributes more than 17% of all tracked MCD recoveries.
• The majority of trafficking activities take place through unlicensed private dealing, which accounts for 63.9%, and unlicensed manufacturing, which represents 62.5,% showing that current ghost gun statistics trends depend on unregulated distribution networks.

Conclusion

Ghost Gun Statistics: The development of Ghost guns has become one of the most rapidly advancing areas in the United States firearm market. The data shows an exponential increase, together with central demographic participation and unregulated distribution patterns, which create difficulties for existing law enforcement systems. The increase in recent recoveries indicates that regulatory and police activities have grown stronger, but the concurrent growth of 3D-printed weapons together with conversion devices shows that technology development continues without interruption.

The market is in a state of continuous development instead of remaining unchanged. The current situation requires policymakers to adapt enforcement practices for both digital commerce and modular weapon design. The upcoming stage of firearm policy development will depend on three factors, which include regulatory clarity, interagency cooperation, and technology-based monitoring systems.

FAQ