New rule expands the definition of a firearm to cover kits for building guns
KANSAS CITY, Mo. —
A ghost gun is a do-it-yourself firearm that can be purchased online. There’s no serial number. No background check. Federal agents said one can be built in 30 minutes or less.
KMBC 9 Investigates found someone here in Kansas City with one of those ghost gun kits. More goes into building the weapon than you might think.
“This is a complete pistol kit for building a Glock 17. All the parts are in that,” said firearms specialist Ben Bitler.
This is what the ATF calls a ghost gun. For firearms specialists like Bitler, it’s a kit for a personally built firearm.
“All you would do is drill these holes out, cut the top parts and cut out the middle section. This is not something that is done easy,” Bitler said.
Bitler owns a company that builds custom rifles. He doesn’t build these types of guns. Bitler had a kit that he was willing to show KMBC.
“When it comes to these kits, we’re just going to completely stay away from them because it just causes trouble for us,” he said.
He said that building one takes time, effort, and a level of expertise.
“It does not take 30 minutes to build one of these. It takes hours if not days to build one of these kits,” Bitler said.