RI man convicted of 3D printing ghost guns

A North Kingstown, R.I. man was convicted in Washington County Superior Court of using a 3D printer to manufacture ghost guns.

Nicholas Dailey, 30, entered a plea of nolo contendere to two counts of manufacture and possession of a ghost gun, produced by a 3D printing process.

A judge sentenced Dailey to four years, with one year to serve at the Adult Correctional Institution and a three-year suspended sentence.

“Since ghost guns were banned in Rhode Island in mid-2020, our office has prosecuted nearly 50 cases where these untraceable firearms are being found in the hands of individuals involved in criminal activity,” Attorney General Peter Neronha said in a statement. “Ghost guns are fully operable firearms without serial numbers that thus cannot be traced by law enforcement after they are used in criminal activity. They are sought after by individuals who value them for that very reason, and/or cannot pass a background check.”

Police began investigating Dailey in May of 2021 based on a tip that he had ghost guns. The attorney general’s office said Dailey was pulled over and officers found two loaded 17-round 9mm pistol magazines, along with several spent shell casings of the same caliber. Officers noticed that the magazines did not have manufacturer markings on them, and their material had a pattern of parallel lines consistent with markings of items printed with a 3D printer, according to the attorney general.

Bailey admitted he had two 3D-printed handguns at his home in North Kingstown. Police later searched his home and seized two complete 3D printed ghost gun copies of a 9mm Glock 17 semi-automatic handgun, three defective 3D printed Glock 17 frames, a 3D printer, a laptop, and a box of 9mm ammunition, the attorney general’s office said.

The two ghost guns were successfully test-fired at the Rhode Island State Crime Laboratory and determined to be operable.

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