Now, I don’t really think traceability is as vital as some others believe. After all, even if you can trace a stolen gun, it doesn’t really get you all that far in the grand scheme of things. I mean, it was stolen. The guy it’s traced to didn’t have anything to do with the crime.

Especially since it seems that ghost guns aren’t as big of an issue as some have claimed.

It’s an emerging threat raising concerns from the U.S. Attorney to the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms. They’re called “ghost guns,” or privately made firearms without serial numbers, purchased without background checks.

News 13 got exclusive access inside the ATF’s firearms vault in Charlotte. We also talked with the acting Special Agent in Charge about how frequently ghost guns are used in crimes, how they can delay justice and whether new changes will curb their illegal use.

The buy, build, shoot kits require tools and drilling to complete the firearm. Because of that, they don’t require a serial number or background check. So, anyone can buy one. While the kits will remain legal to buy, the requirements are changing. Here’s why.

Of course, we all know why. We’ve seen the news reports over and over again

But, as this same news report shows, it doesn’t look like a huge problem on American streets.

Here’s the response we received when we asked the following departments about the number of ghost guns found during crimes:

Haywood County Sheriff’s Office

• 2020: 1
• 2021: 0
• 2022: 0

Waynesville Police Department

• 2020: 0
• 2021: 0
• 2022: 0

Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office

• 2020: 0
• 2021: 1
• 2022: 0

Asheville Police Department

Police officials said they’ve collected multiple ghost gun firearms over the time period but did not provide specific numbers.

Henderson County Sheriff’s Office

• 2020: 0
• 2021: 0
• 2022: 0

Hendersonville Police Department

• 2020: 1
• 2021: 1
• 2022: 0

Macon County Sheriff’s Office

• 2020: 0
• 2021: 0
• 2022: 0

Swain County Sheriff’s Office

• 2020: 0
• 2021: 0
• 2022: 0

Transylvania County Sheriff’s Office

• 2020: 0
• 2021: 0
• 2022: 0

Brevard Police Department

• 2020: 0
• 2021: 0
• 2022: 0

Marion Police Department

• 2020: 0
• 2021: 0
• 2022: 0

Jackson County Sheriff’s Office

The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office told News 13 there’s no way to tell in their system because it does not differentiate coding of seized firearms.

So, out of 12 departments, only one reports “several” so-called ghost guns being recovered. Among the other 11, we’ve got a total of three reported.

Three.

That’s over a two-and-a-half-year span, mind you, and we see three total guns out of 11 departments.

Now, when you look at the hysteria surrounding these weapons, you’d swear they were being handed out on every street corner. They’re clearly not.

I get that not every department is going to have the same results. A larger police department like the Chicago PD, NYPD, or LAPD is going to see a whole lot more “ghost guns” than the Macon Count Sheriff’s Office would. Those are huge departments serving huge populations. The law of probability alone means they’ll see more of these kinds of weapons.

But this is far more indicative of what you’ll find outside of those major metropolitan centers.

We’re looking at a handful of “ghost guns” and little more. That’s because this isn’t the threat some like to claim. It’s more like a scapegoat for politicians who can’t figure out what to do and are looking for something to blame.