A Bellingham man has been arrested on charges related to manufacturing so-called ghost guns.
Austin Grimme, 34, was arrested on Monday, May 13 at Cornwall Park by Whatcom County Sheriff’s Deputies after they conducted a traffic stop, according to Deb Slater, the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office public information officer. During the traffic stop, Grimme admitted there were drugs in his car.
At the same time, another vehicle arrived in the parking lot and Grimme said they were there to buy drugs from him, according to Slater. A search of the vehicle by law enforcement revealed three ounces of a white powdery substance packaged in baggies. The substance later tested positive for fentanyl.
During the traffic stop, law enforcement received more information that Grimme, a seven-time convicted felon, had firearms in his residence.
A search warrant was executed for the residence in the 2700 block of North Park Drive in Bellingham, where law enforcement found three complete firearms without serial numbers, also known as ghost guns, six firearm lowers without serial numbers, numerous handgun magazines — including high capacity magazines — hundreds of rounds of ammunition, handgun parts, a handgun silencer, a 3-D printer and supplies believed to have been used to construct the handgun lowers, according to Slater.
Grimme was arrested on probable cause for possession with intent to deliver, three counts of unlawful possession of firearms and unlawful firearms. He is currently detained in the Whatcom County Jail on a $150,000 bond.
Ghost guns are regulated in Washington, and state law requires serial numbers on all component parts and bans plastic undetectable guns.
Ghost guns can either be printed using a 3-D printer, or assembled from a kit bought online. However, the Biden administration in 2022 required that the assembly kits must include serial numbers, according to CBS News.
In the first six months of 2023, the Department of Justice reported it had recovered more than 10,000 ghost guns across the country.
Grimme’s preliminary appearance in Whatcom County Superior Court was Tuesday, May 14.
Annie Todd is CDN’s criminal justice/enterprise reporter; reach her at annietodd@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 130.
