Per our left-of-center friends at Wikipedia “a ghost gun is a firearm without serial numbers. (If only they could have stopped here, but…) The term is used by gun control advocates, gun rights advocates, law enforcement, and some in the firearm industry. By making the gun themselves, owners may legally bypass background checks and registration regulations. (And they just can’t help themselves!) Some ghost guns become part of the illicit firearms trade. Under US Federal law, the creation and possession of ghost guns is permitted but transferring them is a felony.”
Now that is a slanted definition if I have ever heard one. My definition would be “an un-serialized and unregistered firearm” but then, I believe in direct answers to direct questions. And they don’t even address the plethora of State and Local Laws that assure, no matter how hard you try and follow the laws, you will violate them. It is all part of the plot.
Following the “news” for what that is worth makes the ownership of a ghost gun a tempting proposition to someone like me who lives by the words of Patrick Henry. Insurance for the time when the SHTF and society truly breaks down, you know, like any weekend night in Chicago. And this would only be one additional step to the construction of guns I have already done.
So many question can be spun from this that it makes one dizzy. So, I am going to attack this one from the end and try and work backwards, over time. Today it is: Can you inherit a “ghost gun?” Can you bequeath a “ghost gun?”
The simple answer is “only if you truly hate the people you would be doing this to…” Would you believe there are so many restrictions and laws, and conditions that invalidate the law due to other laws and other state and federal imposed statutes that it will take a team of lawyers’ months to sort out the details, at a cost that would exceed the value of a hundred of the guns in question. For example: http://seniorfan.com/2015/06/who-can-and-cant-inherit-your-guns-a-look-at-the-law-part-2/) And if you think your state is simpler than California, you may be right, but only in three (3) cases. And the problem is systemic (https://www.cato.org/policy-report/januaryfebruary-2015/too-many-laws-too-many-costs).
Will I build one? My direct answer is “answering that question would be foolish.” I learned long ago in the Defense Industry that if you do not want someone to know something you NEVER type it into a keyboard or say it into a phone, period.
The often-proposed simple answer “transfer it in person as how would anyone know the new owner is not the original owner?” My response would be that is a possible solution IF I bought all the piece parts cash at gun shows and auctions, never used a credit card to purchase any part, and made the recipient fully aware of the situation. Of course, MY favorite answer is to simply say nothing and leave it to the brother-in-law who still owes me money. That would help me R.I.P. 😉