Ghost Guns found in Antigua and Barbuda

Rashaed Esson

Staff Writer

#AntiguaandBarbuda, September 19, 2023 – Antigua and Barbuda Police discovered two ghost guns and now say they are upping their surveillance efforts throughout the country especially since they say these guns are not easily traced.

This comes weeks after ghost guns were discovered in Trinidad and Tobago, a great call for concern as crime continues to prove a growing issue throughout the region.

Everton Jeffers, Deputy Commissioner of Police informed that the weapons are small, nine millimeter caliber and as pointed out by Trinidad and Tobago authorities, and now Jeffers, tracing these weapons are extremely difficult if not impossible.

He said, “There is no easy way to trace them.  There are no numbers, and you can buy different parts to assemble these firearms,” further pointing out that with simple tools like a drill and screwdriver, one can construct functioning firearms by following online tutorials.

Even more cause for concern, importing the parts from ghost guns are reported to be very easy as the authorities say they can be brought into the country without raising suspicion, using readily available items like receivers, barrels and trigger mechanisms.

The parts can be shipped separately as highlighted by Jeffers who also said that identifying the parts and intercepting them prove a major challenge.

In continuation, the commissioner expressed that the lack of knowledge of the parts too can likely result in failure to identify them, adding that they are wearily concealed in everyday items like detergent pods and even paint.

“If you don’t know, you can actually see a part of a ghost gun and not even recognize that you’re dealing with a ghost gun,” he maintained.

“If those items are not X-rayed then they will just pass through the port just like that.  Those items that are coming in, except those persons or agencies overseas run these things through x-rays, those things will continue to come into the country and we won’t be able to pick them up,” he informed.

According to data, Jeffers said, these parts mostly come from North America, particularly the United States, Venezuela and Colombia.

In fighting the emergence of these weapons, he expressed that human intelligence will have to serve as our best defense as the source manufacturer is unknown and could be “Ms. John in her house.”

Regarding the proliferation of the ghost guns, he stated that it is directly linked to the drug trade, a major, growing issue in the region.