INDIANAPOLIS — A Franklin man has been charged with federal offenses of dealing firearms without a license, possession and/or transfer of machine guns and manufacturing machine guns.
According to court documents, in May 2022, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) began investigating Alexander Clark of Franklin for unlawfully manufacturing and selling privately made firearms.
Over the course of several months, agents purchased several 3-D printed Glock-style firearms and devices capable of converting semiautomatic rifles to fully automatic machineguns from Clark.
According to court documents, during the search of Clark’s residence, law enforcement officers seized approximately 30 firearms including several 3-D printed firearms, several “Glock switches” used to convert firearms into machine guns, a suspected fully automatic AR-15 rifle, 3-D printing filament, a laptop with a Glock frame on screen connected to a 3-D printer and a silencer.
According to the U.S. District Court, Clark does not possess a Federal Firearms License authorizing him to sell firearms and he had not registered the weapons in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record as is required for this category of firearms.
3-D printed firearms of this type are untraceable and are referred to as “ghost guns.”
Ghost guns are unserialized, privately made firearms increasingly recovered by law enforcement at crime scenes across the country. Because ghost guns lack the serial numbers marked on other firearms, they are impossible for law enforcement to trace through the ATF’s National Tracing Center.
READ | Untraceable guns: Growing concerns in Indiana over-regulation of 'ghost guns' and 'Glock switches'
ATF is investigating this case in collaboration with the Columbus (Indiana) Police Department.
-
Help arrives for HVAF after apartments for homeless veterans catch fire
Assistance for HVAF has poured in since the apartment complex burned on October 26. The apartments will take at least a year to repair.Indianapolis Ballet offers up-close experience with mixed-repertoire production
The Indianapolis Ballet's latest production, “New Works,” provides guests with the unique opportunity to get an intimate look into what it takes to choreograph a ballet production.Delphi Murders Trial: Day 18 | Jury to determine if Richard Allen is guilty
Closing arguments wrapped up this afternoon. The jury received the case around 1:30 p.m., but jurors left without a verdict after about two hours of deliberation.Feeling down after Daylight Saving Time ended? Here's what experts say
Daylight Saving Time ended on Sunday, meaning shorter days and less sunlight. It’s not uncommon to feel those “winter blues” now that the sun is setting around 5:30 p.m.