HONOLULU (KHON2) — The Honolulu Police Department said more ghost guns are being recovered at crime scenes, and now state and federal officials are cracking down on the weapons.
Ghost guns do not have serial numbers and can be assembled from kits and 3-D printers, making them virtually untraceable when used to commit crimes.
On May 12, Hawaii Congresswoman Jill Tokuda said she’ll introduce a bill in Washington D.C. on May 13 called the “Ghost Act,” which looks to track gun parts that are shipped in the mail.
With the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms on scene on May 12, Tokuda, the Department of Law Enforcement and Honolulu Police Chief Joe Logan showed reporters examples of 3-D printed gun parts and kits.
They showed the parts that can be ordered online to assemble a gun, and then the pieces that are made with the printer, which can create a deadly weapon when put together.
Law enforcement officials showed even the smallest pieces can be made with a printer to modify a gun. Logan said parents should be aware that the plastic pieces could look like toys, but they’re not.
“We’re having criminals that are legally purchasing [the top] online because it’s unregulated and then printing the bottom,” said DLE Director Mike Lambert while showing an example of a ghost gun in his hand. “So with this act, we will be able to know from law enforcement how many of these kits are coming into the state.”
The act would require the buyer to sign off on the item when it arrives in the mail, and law enforcement will be able to see if the person is a registered gun owner or a felon.
“This is something a legal gun owner should embrace because we all know the ones that are trying to be untraceable, they are the ones causing chaos on our streets,” Tokuda said. “This doesn’t infringe on ability or rights, it’s about accountability.”
According to HPD data provided to the legislature in 2025, HPD confiscated 84 ghost guns from January to November 2024, compared to 34 ghost guns confiscated during the same time in 2023.
The DLE and HPD said the new legislation will help track who is bringing what into the island.
“There are over 500,000 registered firearms in the state of Hawaii,” Lambert said. “We literally have no clue when parts are coming in and then being constructed into final weapons and that’s the issue.”
It’s already a felony to possess or make unserialized parts in Hawaii, but the Honolulu Prosecutor’s Office says the law doesn’t reach the assembled gun itself.
A bill sitting on Gov. Josh Green’s desk clearly defines a ghost gun and would make it illegal to possess, transfer or sell a ghost gun. It would also enhance sentencing for people who use a ghost gun to commit a felony.
“In the past when we have received cases involving firearms that were not serialized, we charged them under the Place to Keep statute (Section 134-23 of the Hawaii Revised Statutes),” the Honolulu Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement. “The bill that is awaiting Governor Green’s signature was part of the Honolulu Prosecuting Attorney’s legislative package this session. We submitted this bill because Hawaii does not have a ghost gun law with a definition of a ghost gun. This bill will close that gap.”