CNN
—

Authorities in Maryland are searching for a man facing multiple gun charges after a colorful arsenal of firearms, including illegal “ghost guns,” were found in his home.

Police responded to reports of a domestic assault at a home in Lexington Park, about 60 miles southeast of Washington, DC, on Thursday night before discovering an “extensive collection” of weapons, the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office said Friday. . Mary’s County in a statement.

Ghost guns are kits that a user can purchase online to assemble a fully functional firearm at home using individual parts or parts made with 3D printers and plastic resins. They are often nowhere to be found, and authorities say they are showing up more frequently at crime scenes.

The suspect, who police have identified as Jerod Adam Taylor, fled the scene before law enforcement arrived, the sheriff’s office said.

Several firearms were found “in plain sight” at the residence, despite Taylor, 39, being legally barred from possessing firearms due to previous convictions and a warrant for his arrest in force for theft, the release states.

A subsequent search turned up several 3D printed “ghost guns” without serial numbers, semi-automatic rifles, pistols and shotguns. In all, 80 firearms were recovered, including a 3D-printed fully automatic rifle, police said.

Numerous high-capacity magazines, more than 1,300 rounds of ammunition, armor and 3D printers were also among the seized items, it added.

The suspect is charged with unlawful possession of ammunition, unlawful possession of an assault weapon with intent to sell, second-degree assault and several other related charges, authorities said.

The use of phantom guns is on the rise across the country, with the Biden administration telling the Supreme Court that police departments have experienced an “explosion in crimes involving phantom guns” in recent years. In 2017, police sent approximately 1,600 recovered phantom guns to crime scenes for tracking. Four years later, the number had grown to more than 19,000.

The Biden administration has strict regulation on phantom weapons as part of a series of actions related to gun safety. In 2022, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives required manufacturers of ghost guns to include serial numbers on the kits and conduct background checks on people who purchase them.

However, advocacy groups and several companies that make the kits have tried to appeal the decisionarguing in the Supreme Court that the regulation was not permitted by law. Kits are not weapons, they say, but rather parts.

Last month, during oral arguments, the Supreme Court signaled a willingness to follow the Biden administration’s rule. A decision in that case, Garland v. VanDerStok, is expected by next summer.