A Utah company has agreed to shut down after the attorney general of Connecticut accused the business of selling parts for privately made “ghost guns” — which lack serial numbers, are harder for authorities to trace and are illegal in the southern New England state.
The company will dissolve, surrender its internet domain and deactivate its social media accounts, Tong announced in a news release. The company’s owner must report to Tong’s office annually whether they or “any agents of AR” have formed any business to start selling “ghost gun” parts again — and, if they do, the owner must attest that the business is obeying Connecticut law.
AR Industries holds a business license issued by the city of Orem, categorized as selling “dry goods and general merchandise.” The company’s address, according to the city, is a house in a residential area. A message left Monday to the company’s phone, as listed on its business license, was not immediately returned.
“Ghost guns” are often made from kits available online, and “typically sold and assembled without traceable serial numbers,” according to a report from the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, a nonprofit that advocates for gun safety. They are often purchased without a background check.“AR Industries shipped these crime guns into Connecticut in violation of our laws and we are shutting them down,” Tong’s statement continued.