December 20th, 2024
6minute read
In this article, the author discusses homemade firearms.
Known also by their media name of ghost guns, homemade firearms are nothing new.
Nevertheless, they have become a political football in recent years.
“Ghost guns” as a concept gin up a great deal of fear. This is despite the fact that homemade firearms have long been part of the American experience.
The authors views are his own and do not constitute legal advice.
Always check your local laws.
Language Influences Thoughts
It is an oft-repeated idea that whoever controls the language can control the population.
The author shoots a homemade firearm. It was built with off-the-shelf components along with a lower receiver he manufactured himself.
The charged term, used since at least the early 1900s, referred to inexpensive firearms.
You saw it in the newspapers and saw it on TV.
I previously discussed this disingenuous rhetoric by the anti-gun zealots in my articlecop-killer bullets.
The traditional process of manufacturing a high-quality handgun like the Hellcat Pro requires sophisticated machining and molding processes.
What Is a Ghost Gun?
Ghost gun is a political term for a homemade firearm.
Organizations opposed to private gun ownership use the term to create both fear and mystery.
Depending on the gun you are making, a drill press, router and jig may be useful. With enough patience, certain guns can be completed with commonly available tools.
However, there is nothing supernatural about a homemade firearm.
Ghost guns cant hide or evade metal detectors, despite what you might hear.
Are Ghost Guns Legal?
While firearms are arguably relatively simple mechanisms, a certain amount of precision and detail goes into their manufacture (like this XD-M 9mm pistol).
In general, a homemade firearm is completely legal to make and use.
Currently, there are no federal laws prohibiting the manufacture or ownership of a personally made gun.
There are however, a small number of states that do regulate homemade firearms.
Aftermarket parts round out the construction of a homemade firearm, as shown by this fire control group inside a homebuilt lower AR receiver.
You should check your local laws to familiarize yourself if this is something of interest to you.
Building your own gun at home is not a sidestep around the laws regarding short-barreled rifles, for example.
However, this is where you must be very careful.
The manufacture of firearms for commercial purposes is heavily regulated.
With AR-style rifles, the lower receiver is considered the gun by the BATFE.
However, an 80% receiver is a simpler way to accomplish this.
A number of high-quality jigs are on the market that can make your work more accurate.
For example, mounting theSAINT Victor upper assemblywill create an amazing rifle.
For other kinds of firearms, different work is needed.
Basic metal working skills and tools like a drill press are generally required.
Also, keep in mind that a small number of states prohibit unfinished receivers.
Its not that simple.
Final Thoughts
I have enjoyed owning and using firearms my entire life.
Citizens in the United States have a long history of legally manufacturing their own guns.
Go to forum thread
SAINTVictor Upper Receiver Assembly 5.56x45mm NATO (.223 Rem)
