[dropcap size=big]L[/dropcap]os Angeles street gangs are building their own AR-15-style rifles and other guns, known as “ghost guns” because they are untraceable, according to new evidence revealed by the LAPD and federal firearms agents.
At a press conference Thursday at LAPD Hollywood Division, Hollywood-area detectives and the ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms) revealed the results of a six-month investigation that included home-made weapons. “This is a trend among Southern California gangs, what that means is, criminals are making weapons because they cannot buy them legally,” the ATF agent in charge said.
Ten arrests were made in the seizure; the ghost guns were laid out on a table, half of which appeared to be semi-automatics. They also included an AK-47 and an SKS, Russian military assault rifles.
Gang members are barred from legally purchasing weapons and have increasingly started to manufacture their own from unfinished kits used in AR-15 manufacturing, explained ATF Special Agent Bill McMullan in a statement.