DAYTON — Investigators found a 3D-printed gun as they were investigating a murder.
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The problem of “ghost guns” is rising across the country.
Dayton police found a 9mm 3D-printed gun while serving a search warrant at a home during a murder investigation.
“All they’re doing is grabbing it once it’s an open source and it’s there for the world to download and to plug into their 3D printer,” Courtney Nyland said.
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Nyland is the New York City Police Department’s ghost gun czar.
She said the technology is far ahead of laws meant to regulate ghost guns.
Police arrested a man after finding the 3D gun.
His previous felonies made it illegal for him to have a weapon.
The ghost guns don’t have serial numbers on them, and there are no records of sales or transfers.
Former ATF Assistant Director Tom Chittum said it’s creating major headaches for keeping officers and communities safe.
“The criminal turn to the internet, order these kits from the comfort of their own home, assemble them and they have a firearm that is not easily detected by law enforcement,” Tom Chittum said.
Federal laws make it illegal to buy parts for ghost guns without a background check or to sell them without a serial number.
In Ohio, if you legally buy the parts, you can put it together and keep it as long as you have no felony convictions.
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