WA Man Sentenced To 6 Years Over "Ghost Guns"

The media has been having a total meltdown “ghost guns” in the hands of bad guys.

To be sure, armed criminals are always a problem, but the vast majority are armed with traditionally manufactured firearms, not so-called “ghost guns.” Some are, but most have the same things that you’ll find in your gun dealers’ cases.

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In Washington, though, at least one criminal made somewhat prolific use of a 3D printer.

A federal judge handed a nearly six-year prison term Friday to an Edmonds man who amassed an arsenal of homemade “ghost guns” despite being on federal supervision for an earlier firearms conviction.

Nathan Brasfield was arrested in 2014 for being a felon in possession of a firearm. After serving a prison term, he began a period of supervised release in 2017.

Nevertheless, Brasfield acquired several machines used in home manufacturing of firearms: a 3D printer, drill press and computer numerical control machine — also known as a “ghost gunner” — and he started making guns.

Federal agents searched his home in February after customs agents found five silencers in a package addressed to him. Agents reported finding 17 pistols, 24 rifles and 10 silencers, with most of the guns being homemade and having no serial numbers. Such weapons are called “ghost guns” because of the difficulty of tracing them.

The complaint said agents also found 300 pounds of ammunition — thousands of rounds, “enough for a small war,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Woods said in recommending a 70-month sentence.

Undoubtedly, some will argue that this is proof we need to ban such practices. However, let’s also note that they said most of the guns were homemade. That means Brasfield was able to get his hands on traditionally-manufactured firearms as well. Just how many guns is too many for a convicted felon to have? One? That’s what I thought.

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Further, even if you did ban so-called “ghost guns,” what impact do you really think that would have? Brasfield would have still been armed, after all.

Plus, let’s be honest here. There have been instructions available since the 1980s on how to build a submachine gun out of stuff you could get at the hardware store. If there’s a will, there’s a way to get a gun despite all the gun laws in the world.

Which is, again, how gun laws only inhibit the law-abiding in the first place. Now, these are people who aren’t going to rob, rape, murder, or any of that, but sure, take their guns while the criminals will keep getting guns no matter what.

Brasfield’s being armed is sure to convince some that more gun control is needed, but those folks need to stop and think for a moment. They need to ponder whether or not any new gun law would be more effective than the plethora of gun laws he repeatedly ignored to amass his arsenal. The truth of the matter is that they wouldn’t and we all know it.

Gun control doesn’t impact the bad guys, just the good guys trying to make it in the world the good Lord has provided us.

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