This story was published in partnership withThe Trace, a nonprofit newsroom coveringgun violence.
In cities across the country, the number of ghost guns recovered at crime scenes wasfalling.
TheSupreme Courtseemed poised toupholda de facto federal ban on the kits used to assemble the weapons.
NYPD Detective John Uske shows ghost-gun parts during a press conference at 1 Police Plaza in New York.Barry Williams/New York Daily News/Tribune News Service/Getty Images
And Polymer80, once the countrys largest manufacturer of those kits, was forced toshut down.
The assassination jolted the public.
Children bought the kits and thenshot themselvesby accident.
Mass shooters used them to killoffice workersandclassmates.
The violence prompted the Biden administration to crack down.
The Trace showed the listings to Rick Vasquez, a former ATF firearms expert.
Other companies responded to the new rule by overhauling their business.
Theres an element of defiance or challenge to the government: Can you really control the flow of arms?
They found only eight cases in which 3D-printed guns were actually fired.
He said the guns are growing more reliable a major concern for law enforcement.
It allows administrators to preemptively block the devices from printing guns or gun parts.
If the system detects a firearm, the print job is blocked.
What Will Trump Do?
PresidentDonald Trumpresisted pressure to regulate 3D-printed firearms during his first four years in office.
This term, he haspledgedto appoint a pro-gun ATF director to review the agencys previous rulings.
