Uncovering Ghost Guns: Triggering Dialogue

Conversations related to Ghost Guns on Reddit

This is the second blog in our Uncovering Ghost Guns series wherein RTI International presents the results of our self-funded study of online posts related to ghost guns. This series strives to provide some insight into who is discussing ghost guns online and what they are saying in an effort to understand what research topics are most relevant to inform ghost gun policy. As described in Uncovering Ghost Guns: The Landscape and Online Trends, ghost guns (aka “privately manufactured firearms” or PMFs) represent a largely unregulated category of the firearms market, making them desirable to people who would be prohibited from accessing guns through regulated processes. This blog describes discussion trends and topics about ghost guns from Reddit.

Reddit is a social media platform where users can openly post, comment, and share content with one another. Users can subscribe to specialized channels or “subreddits” dedicated to specific topics. Reddit enables posts and replies of up to 40,000 characters, facilitating the analysis of extensive, long-form content on specific subjects. There are several subreddit forums dedicated toward users interested in ghost guns.

Most Popular Ghost Gun Subreddits

We find there are four main subreddits related to the build and distribution of ghost guns. All have grown in popularity from 2021 through 2024.

People who subscribe to ghost gun subreddits are also involved in other gun-related communities online. These subscribers tend to engage with a wide range of firearm topics, from accessories to specific types of guns (r/gunaccessoriesforsale, r/firearms, r/ar15, and r/glocks). This overlap suggests that ghost gun enthusiasts are part of a larger, interconnected gun culture online rather than being isolated to just one niche; and form a broader network where users share interests, ideas, and information across various firearm subcultures.

Ghost Gun Subreddit Discussion Findings

Within these subreddits, users seem to be forming relationships and sharing a wealth of information, including how to purchase, build, sell, and distribute firearms, as well as the legal landscape related to ghost guns. The researchers’ specific interest in this topic is related to conversations specific to building and buying ghost guns, and we conducted a manual review of posts from several popular ghost gun subreddits to identify the key topics of discussion. 

A human reviewer categorized the posts based on the content they presented, including topics such as 3D printing, build kits, and the sale or trade of components. We estimated the percentage of a conversation on Reddit posts related to a given category by identifying key terms associated with that category (e.g., “upload” or “print quality” for 3D Printing) and counting their occurrences in the dataset. To calculate the proportion, we divided the number of mentions for each category by the total number of mentions in the overall dataset. This method highlights the relative prominence of specific categories within the broader group discussion.

Manufacturing: Across Reddit posts, users showcase the various types of guns they have privately acquired and manufactured. These firearm exhibitions elicit inquiries regarding the components of the firearm and how to obtain them. Users often seek guidance on where to purchase kits, how to ensure quality, and maximizing ease of assembly. Within the subreddits, first-time users express their naivety, which is often met with suggestions for various kits to purchase that are more beginner-friendly because all or most of the necessary components are included. It is suggested that these kits can be built by “almost anyone.” We estimated that about 3% of Reddit conversations are about build kits. We limited our analysis to calculating the number of occurrences from original posts only, due the lack of specificity in comments to include our search terms. 

3D Printing: At the same time, advancements in 3D printing have enabled owners to produce firearm components that can be assembled to create fully functional firearms. To print these firearms, users download blueprint files of their desired firearm or firearm accessory, which are distributed and sold across online platforms. Reddit users often discuss and shop new ghost gun models and receive guidance throughout the printing and building process. These venues are largely unregulated, giving individuals the freedom to communicate about the design, production, and distribution of potentially dangerous, unregulated ghost guns. We estimated that about 14% of Reddit conversations on ghost guns are about 3D printing.

Customizations: More advanced users detail alterations or customization they make to their firearms. Some also discuss the ease and affordability of printing firearms and/or their parts and accessories relative to the more regulated and traditional market for purchasing these products. These conversations often pose more technical questions regarding the accessory itself, whether it will compromise functionality, and what users' opinions are for construction. Individuals also use this as a space to brainstorm or troubleshoot crafting prototype components or accessories of firearms that, based upon feedback, they intend to broadly distribute once they are fully functional. We estimated that about 11% of Reddit conversations on ghost guns are about altering or customizing.

Distribution: Reddit users describe several third party platforms or websites for sharing and distributing the ghost gun kits, accessories, and blueprints. For those with 3D printers, users upload files that others can download and purchase. Users can also purchase the printed components to be assembled later. Parts and kits are provided disassembled for sellers, thus avoiding potential legal ramifications and the requirement to add serial numbers of conduct background checks. Upon purchasing, these kits are then distributed via mail packages through various websites. Reddit users also share websites to purchase ghost guns such as https://inmc.fun/, which sells parts kits for assembling ghost guns. On that particular site, these kits can range anywhere from $18.00-$120.00 (INMC, 2024). Individuals looking to sell ghost guns and/or their components can do so without any quality control or regulations. We estimated that about 4% of Reddit conversations on ghost guns are about purchasing and selling.

Conclusions About Ghost Guns and Reddit

This exploratory study found that Reddit conversations on ghost guns have been trending upwards over the past few years. The most popular ghost gun subreddit in terms of both volume and growth over time is focused on 3D printing ghost guns, so it is not surprising that this was the most common topic address in ghost gun posts at 14%, among the topics that we evaluated. Overall, a combined 28% of Reddit ghost guns-related posts dealt with building, printing, or accessorizing these firearms. Our estimates may rely on the assumption that the terms that were identified accurately reflect the topics of interest.

Future studies may identify additional topics of discussion beyond this study’s focus on building and buying ghost guns. These findings indicate that ghost gun conversations have grown rapidly over time and that about one in three of the Reddit posts that we evaluated was on the topic of building or buying ghost guns, suggesting a great deal of public interest in acquiring these guns. This information is accessible to anyone with an internet connection, providing people who are prohibited from legal firearm possession with a clear roadmap to circumvent background checks and other barriers designed to prevent their access to firearms.