The NYPD has seized 389 untraceable ghost guns so far this year — a 710% surge in such seizures since 2019, when a mere 48 were taken, police stats show.
In 2022, a record-high 463 of these deadly firearms were recovered.
“It’s distressing to see that many ghost guns recovered by police,” Mark Collins, federal policy director at gun control advocacy group Brady, told The Post.
“They are the perfect gun for crime … If you’re a prohibited person and want to get a gun, and don’t want people to know you have that gun, these are the firearms for you.”
A ghost gun — which can be made using a 3D printer or assembled piecemeal via shipped parts, and doesn’t have a serial number — was allegedly linked to a near-fatal attack on Staten Island in October, when Eltingville resident Dominick Giordano shot his 41-year-old neighbor in the back over a fireworks dispute, according to police and court records.
Cops discovered a loaded ghost gun, a 9mm Luger Polymer80, in Giordano’s backyard and arrested the 57-year-old convicted felon, who the Staten Island district attorney’s office slapped with a slew of charges, including attempted murder, felony assault, and criminal use of a firearm, according to court records.
“Ghost guns pose a uniquely difficult challenge to law enforcement, and I support efforts by our lawmakers at the state and federal level to clamp down on the production, sale, and use of these deadly weapons,” said Staten Island DA Michael McMahon.
“We have had some success on Staten Island in tracking and seizing ghost guns, parts, and printers used in manufacturing, but we need more help to do this work even more effectively.”
Untraceable firearms were also recovered in a shocking September raid on an East Harlem daycare center, where police seized a pair of 3D-printed ghost guns along with a nearly-finished assault pistol, a 3D printer, 3D printing tools and plastic filament, according to police.
Overall, 706 ghost guns have been taken statewide so far in 2023, compared to just 100 in 2019, according to the New York State police.