ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is upping its game in its effort to get “ghost guns” off of New York’s streets.

The official term for a "ghost gun" is a privately made firearm, or PMF. ATF agents say the use of "ghost guns" is on the rise.

The agency recently created PMF coordinator positions at its field offices across the country to oversee the effort on targeting "ghost guns."

“So this whole kit, I purchased online,” ATF PMF Coordinator for New York State Paul Greenfield said. “I ordered it on the internet [and] had it shipped to me."

Greenfield pointed out that the receiver for the AR 15-style long gun type “ghost gun” is the only part not included in the online kit. It can be purchased legally at the federal level – but some states, including New York, have banned the shipping of the parts.

"This is where the serial number and manufacturer, this is where all the pertinent information needs to be by law,” Greenfield said. “And you can see it’s not here. There’s nothing printed on it.” 

The receiver is also legal as long as it is not drilled out.

“If this cavity is drilled out which houses the fire control mechanisms and these holes are drilled out, that's when it becomes a firearm,” he said.

These guns are untraceable because the weapons were not manufactured and sold by a licensed dealer and there are no serial numbers, making it that much more difficult for investigators to track down the people who initially crafted and sold the weapons.

“Well, that's what we try and work our way up to, right?” Greenfield said. “So if we recover these and we say, OK, we found these. We try and convince the person who was in possession of it to tell us how they got it, and work our way back up to the person that [is] manufacturing it. That’s the goal.”

The ATF is working with its other law enforcement partners to get the “ghost guns” off the streets. They say it’s a top priority for the agency.