PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — A North Kingstown man was convicted of manufacturing ghost guns following a months-long investigation, according to Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha.
Nicholas Dailey, 30, pleaded no contest last week to two counts of manufacture and possession of a ghost gun.
The investigation began in May 2021, when detectives received a tip that Dailey had several ghost guns in his possession.
Officers pulled Dailey over in Warwick soon after receiving the tip. Neronha said the officers found what appeared to be two ghost guns and ammunition inside his vehicle.
Dailey admitted to the officers that he made the guns using a 3D printer, which Neronha said he kept at home.
Detectives searched Dailey’s home and found two 3D-printed semi-automatic ghost guns, as well as three defective ghost guns, a laptop and the 3D printer itself.
Dailey, according to Neronha, admitted that he printed copies of pistol frames and magazines based on plans he’d downloaded from the internet. He also admitted to ordering gun parts, which he used to complete the weapons.
Both of the completed firearms were tested and deemed operable by the Rhode Island State Crime Laboratory.
“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,” Neronha said. “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.”
“They can be made with parts ordered on the internet, or as the case here, from a 3D printer in a person’s living room,” he continued. “There is no question that they are the gun of choice for many Rhode Island criminals, and present a clear threat to public safety.”
Dailey was sentenced to four years, with one to serve at the Adult Correctional Institution. He will spend the remaining three on a suspended sentence.
