DES MOINES, Iowa — Des Moines police shared on social media they have recovered over 150 guns so far in 2024, with two "ghost" guns recovered from a Tuesday morning shooting adding to that number.
Des Moines Police Department Sgt. Paul Parizek told Local 5 they used to only recover around 200-250 guns off the streets yearly, but now "it's not uncommon at all for us to get close to 700."
Also among the 150 seized guns this year are illegally possessed firearms. DMPD said investigators recovered three illegal weapons, including one stolen firearm, from teens during a gunfire investigation near an apartment complex last week.
RELATED: Zachary Gaskill found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in 2016 death of architect Kirk Blunck
Ghost guns are not illegal in the state of Iowa but are extremely difficult to track a distributor because the self-manufactured weapons have no serial number ID and require no background check upon purchase.
"If we recover a gun that's been used in a crime and we don't have that ballistic evidence, and it's one of these guns that's been 3D-printed or a Polymer80, and it doesn't have a serial number," Parizek said. "It's essentially invisible to us and our partners at the ATF."
Without a serial number, ghost guns leave investigators with less answers and more questions, like: "Who sold that gun? Or who made that gun? Or who bought that gun? Or who built that gun?"
A 16-year-old faces three charges in connection to the Tuesday shooting. The 31-year-old man injured during the shooting is expected to recover.