A 60 Minutes investigation has found that guns with no serial numbers made from legally purchased parts have become a weapon of choice among criminals.

"Ghost guns," virtually untraceable weapons that can be made at home using legally purchased parts, have turned up in criminal cases in most of the country, a 60 Minutes report reveals. Sales of those parts are on the rise, along with traditional firearms, across the U.S. during the pandemic. Bill Whitaker and his team's year-and-a-half investigation will be broadcast on 60 Minutes, Sunday, May 10 at 7 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.

60 Minutes spoke to local and national law enforcement and found the majority of states and the nation's capital have seen cases involving ghost guns. The authorities say the guns, made with unfinished parts that, under federal law, don't require serial numbers or a background check to purchase, have become a weapon of choice among criminals and those legally prevented from owning guns. Ghost guns have turned up in mass shootings, police shootouts, gang activity, and cases involving terrorism and white supremacy.

Many ghost guns can be put together using simple tools -- online videos can show you how. 60 Minutes producers were able to order a kit with everything someone would need to build their own 9mm handgun. Thomas Chittum, assistant director of field operations for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), says the ease of purchasing these parts "makes it challenging to keep it out of the hands of people who are not allowed to possess firearms." How many of these untraceable weapons are on the streets? "I have no idea," Chittum tells Whitaker.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/virtually-untraceable-weapons-ghost-guns-investigation-2020-05-07/