Mass Shootings and the Dark Art of Gun Modification The recent mass shooting at a Seattle food festival has shed light on two disturbing trends: the proliferation of ghost guns, untraceable firearms assembled from parts kits, and the ease with which semiautomatic pistols can be converted into fully automatic machine guns.
The recovery of a modified machine gun and an unserialized "ghost gun" from the scene highlights the worrying capacity for violence in modern America.
The shooting itself was a tragic reminder that mass shootings are not isolated incidents but rather a symptom of a deeper problem.