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Ghost guns seized in Burlington and Woburn; officials warn of dangers they pose
Ghost guns, which can be built at home using tools like 3D printers, are a rising problem in Massachusetts, officials said.
Law enforcement officials are warning the public about the threat that ghost guns pose after officers seized illegal weapons on multiple occasions in recent weeks.
Ghost guns are untraceable weapons that are privately assembled. They are often the result of kits being sold online, and pieces of ghost guns can be made using 3D printers. They do not have serial numbers.
In a release Tuesday, Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan and Massachusetts State Police Colonel John E. Mawn, Jr. confirmed that their two offices have been collaborating on multiple investigations. These have resulted in the seizures of several ghost guns, as well as the parts and equipment used to make them.
“We have recently seen multiple very concerning incidents involving ghost guns. These firearms pose a very real threat to our communities, they are untraceable and those who possess and distribute these weapons are intentionally violating the gun laws we have in place in Massachusetts,” Ryan said in a statement.
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On Feb. 9, a State Police trooper in Wilmington pulled over a vehicle driven by Sean O’Connor, 37, of Woburn for alleged erratic driving. The trooper found an ammunition magazine during the stop, and searched the vehicle further. The trooper then discovered that O’Connor was in possession of a loaded 9mm Glock-style firearm with no serial number, as well as magazines and ammunition for an AR-15 rifle, officials said.
O’Connor was arrested for driving after his license was suspended for operating under the influence, Ryan’s office said.
Police then executed a search warrant for O’Connor’s home on Brentwood Lane in Burlington. They found multiple completed Glock-style ghost guns and components of uncompleted handguns and AR-15-style rifles. Officers also uncovered a drill press and other tools used to manufacture ghost guns, officials said.
O’Connor was arraigned on charges related to the seized weapons on Feb. 9. He is being held without bail, and his next court date is March 31.
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“In Middlesex we will continue to use every tool available to us, from enforcement and prosecution to working at a legislative level to close the existing loopholes that allow those without a gun license to possess the tools to make ‘do-it-yourself’ firearms,” Ryan said in a statement.
On Feb. 24, detectives executed a search warrant on a Totman Drive home in Woburn as part of an ongoing ghost gun manufacturing and trafficking investigation. Police were investigating Vincent Johns, 32, of Woburn. Johns lives at the Totman Drive home, officials said.
Investigators seized a 3D printer, multiple 3D-printed Glock-style pistol frames, 3D-printed magazine/feeding devices, several gun parts, and other tools used for manufacturing guns, according to Ryan’s office. Police also found pills stamped to appear to be Xanax. Officials believe these to be counterfeit, or “pressed” pills. Police also found binding agents used in the manufacturing process for “pressed” pills.
While officers searched the building, they found a 3D printer actively manufacturing a ghost gun, officials said.
Johns was arrested without incident and charged with possession of a firearm without a license and trafficking firearms.
“These cases are just two examples of a dangerous trend we are seeing involving firearms. In addition to the dangers to the public posed by unregistered and untraceable firearms, gun parts manufactured with 3D printers, similar to what we found in Woburn pose a particular risk to the user due to the fact that improper assembly or the use of plastic parts makes the guns likely to break apart or fire improperly upon use,” Ryan said in a statement.
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