Ghostly weapons

Do-it-yourself has never been easier; just ask the owners of any of the more than 25,785 ghost guns seized nationwide last year. The Internet has made it simple for Americans of all ages (and criminal records) to purchase firearm-making kits at discount prices. The result is a national crisis.

The spectral nature of these weapons is a selling point for criminals who don’t want to get caught. It also helps those who can’t buy guns from licensed dealers. That includes people who would fail background checks, such as convicted felons or violent extremists. And it includes people too young to own guns legally. Manufacturers’ ability to ignore the usual rules surrounding firearms sales depends on a regulatory loophole: They argue they’re not selling guns at all. Instead, they market “frames,” for handguns, and “receivers,” for rifles—each of these constituting 80 percent of a gun rather than a gun in its entirety.

Turning one of these into a 100 percent complete gun is a breeze with an online tutorial. Even a novice can produce a Glock 19 or AK-47 in a few hours.

There is no good reason federal policy should allow anyone with an ounce of Web-savviness to skirt the law. The good news is that the White House published a rule last summer clarifying that frames and receivers qualify as firearms under the Gun Control Act of 1968. The bad news is that a federal judge in Texas vacated the stricture as an abuse of the ATF’s authority. Wiser minds might prevail on appeal, but Congress has room to act, too, by affirming that frames and receivers are firearms that require serial numbers as well as background checks on buyers.

Arguing against closing the loophole on ghost guns means arguing that dangerous criminals and reckless children should be able to log on to their computers and buy weapons of war. Is the gun lobby ready to make that case?