Ghost guns are swamping our community, illegal part by illegal part
In a Willow Glen neighborhood built for ordinary life, authorities uncovered something quietly extraordinary — a residential garage repurposed into a factory for weapons designed to exist outside the reach of law. Three people now face felony charges after a multi-agency investigation revealed a made-to-order ghost-gun operation producing untraceable assault rifles through 3D printing and kit assembly, sold online to buyers who could assemble them at home without background checks or serial numbers. The case arrives at a moment when such weapons are proliferating across California, raising enduring questions about how communities balance technological openness with the obligations of public safety.
- A suburban Willow Glen home concealed at least eight completed assault rifles, 3D printers, machine pistol components, and fentanyl — the full inventory of a clandestine manufacturing enterprise.
- The operation unraveled not through a tip or surveillance, but through an unpaid storage unit bill that led police to a ransacked space filled with firearm parts and 3D-printed receiver renderings.
- Mahon faces 28 felony counts, Cahoon seven, and Bazzani one — a charging structure that reflects prosecutors' effort to assign culpability across different roles within the same network.
- Cahoon was simultaneously under investigation for allegedly running a separate gun-manufacturing operation out of a Gilroy motel room, suggesting a pattern far wider than a single garage.
- District Attorney Jeff Rosen framed the arrests as a strike against what he called an epidemic, warning that ghost guns are flooding communities 'illegal part by illegal part' with no regulatory trail to follow.
In a quiet Willow Glen neighborhood, authorities discovered that a home on Roy Avenue had been converted into a ghost-gun manufacturing station. Three people were arrested: Jack Michael Mahon, 38, of San Jose; Joseph Clifford Cahoon, 31, of Morgan Hill; and Amanda Mary Bazzani, 32. The investigation drew together the Santa Clara County DA's office, San Jose police, the sheriff's department, and federal ATF agents, culminating in coordinated search warrants at multiple South Bay locations.
Inside the Willow Glen residence, officers found at least eight completed assault rifles, partial components for additional weapons, three partially assembled machine pistols, ammunition, multiple 3D printers, and an undisclosed quantity of fentanyl. At Cahoon's Morgan Hill apartment, investigators recovered more 3D printers, an untraceable AR-style lower receiver, an incomplete AK-47 style firearm, and a drill press. A third location in Los Gatos was also searched.
Prosecutors say the three produced made-to-order AK and AR-style rifles using kits, custom tools, and 3D printing technology, then sold them online for home assembly — leaving no serial numbers and bypassing background check requirements entirely. Mahon allegedly modified at least one pistol for fully automatic fire. He now faces 28 felony counts; Cahoon faces seven; Bazzani, who lived at the Willow Glen address, faces one count each of illegal firearm and ammunition possession.
The investigation began in December when a Morgan Hill storage unit linked to Cahoon fell into default. When the storage company accessed it, they found signs of a break-in and surveillance footage of Cahoon attempting to re-enter. A warrant revealed a hastily ransacked space containing welding tools, Dremel tools, 3D printer parts, renderings of AR-15 lower receivers, and cut metal shaped like firearm receivers — a snapshot of an operation interrupted mid-flight.
Cahoon was already under separate investigation for allegedly manufacturing guns out of a Gilroy motel room, suggesting the Willow Glen operation was part of a broader pattern. District Attorney Jeff Rosen vowed to continue dismantling such networks, describing ghost guns as 'swamping our community, illegal part by illegal part' — weapons with no serial numbers, no registration, and no background check trail, assembled in garages and distributed beyond the reach of traditional firearms regulation.
In a quiet corner of Willow Glen, on a street lined with suburban homes, authorities discovered an operation that had transformed a residential garage into a factory for untraceable weapons. Three people were arrested this week in connection with the scheme: Jack Michael Mahon, 38, a San Jose resident; Joseph Clifford Cahoon, 31, of Morgan Hill; and Amanda Mary Bazzani, 32. The investigation, which involved the Santa Clara County District Attorney's office, San Jose police, the sheriff's department, and federal agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, culminated in search warrants served at the Willow Glen home on Roy Avenue and at Cahoon's apartment in Morgan Hill.
When officers entered the properties, they found the machinery and materials of a sophisticated gun-making enterprise. At the Willow Glen residence, they recovered at least eight completed assault rifles, partial components of additional assault rifles, three partially assembled machine pistols, ammunition, and multiple 3D printers. The same day, at Cahoon's Morgan Hill apartment, investigators discovered more 3D printers, a lower receiver for an untraceable AR-style rifle, an incomplete AK-47 style firearm, and a drill press. A third location in Los Gatos was also searched, though details about that site remain unclear. Authorities also found an undisclosed quantity of fentanyl at the Willow Glen home, which led to an additional drug charge against Mahon.
The criminal charges filed this week reflect the scope of what prosecutors say was a coordinated manufacturing operation. Mahon faces 28 felony counts, including illegal manufacturing of assault weapons and possession of firearms while having prior felony convictions. Cahoon was charged with seven felonies on similar grounds. Bazzani, who lived at the Willow Glen address with Mahon, was charged with one felony count each of possessing a rifle and possessing ammunition while having a felony conviction—but not with manufacturing crimes. According to prosecutors, the three defendants produced made-to-order AK and AR-style assault rifles using kits, custom-made tools, and 3D printing technology. Mahon allegedly modified at least one pistol to fire fully automatically. The weapons were sold online to customers who would then assemble them at home, leaving no serial numbers and bypassing any background check requirements.
The investigation began in December when a Morgan Hill storage unit linked to Cahoon fell into default for nonpayment. When the storage company accessed the unit, they discovered signs of a break-in. Surveillance footage showed Cahoon attempting to enter the facility while locked out. Police obtained a warrant and found the unit had been hastily ransacked, with equipment and materials scattered inside. What remained told a clear story: a welding table, cutting tools, Dremel tools, parts of a 3D printer, renderings of 3D-printed AR-15 lower receivers, handgun grips, cut metal pieces shaped like firearm receivers, assorted parts, and a loose bullet. The abandoned space was a snapshot of an operation in disarray.
At the time of the Willow Glen search, Cahoon was already under investigation in a separate case for allegedly manufacturing guns out of a Gilroy motel room, suggesting this was not an isolated venture but part of a pattern. District Attorney Jeff Rosen issued a statement framing the arrests as part of a broader effort to combat what he called an epidemic. "Ghost guns are swamping our community, illegal part by illegal part," he said. "We are working tirelessly to dismantle these criminal networks." The untraceable weapons recovered in this operation—firearms with no serial numbers, no registration, no background check trail—represent exactly the kind of gun that has become increasingly common in criminal cases across California and the nation, manufactured in garages and basements, sold online, and distributed without any of the regulatory oversight that governs traditional firearms sales.
Citas Notables
Ghost guns are swamping our community, illegal part by illegal part. We are working tirelessly to dismantle these criminal networks.— District Attorney Jeff Rosen
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
How does someone even start making ghost guns? Is this something you need special training for?
Not really, and that's part of the problem. You can buy kits online that come with most of the parts already shaped. Add a 3D printer, some basic tools like a drill press, and you've got the core of an operation. The barrier to entry is remarkably low.
So the 3D printers are doing the heavy lifting here?
They're doing some of it. The lower receiver—the part legally classified as the "firearm" itself—can be printed. But these defendants were also using traditional metalworking tools, welding, cutting. It's a hybrid approach. They weren't relying on 3D printing alone.
Why does it matter that these guns have no serial numbers?
Serial numbers are the thread that connects a gun to its owner, to its history. Without them, a weapon can move through the criminal underworld completely invisible. If it's used in a crime, there's no way to trace it back. That's the whole appeal for someone buying one illegally.
The storage unit discovery seems almost accidental. What if that hadn't happened?
Exactly. The operation might still be running. A storage unit defaulting on rent, a break-in, surveillance footage—these are the small failures that unravel larger schemes. One mistake, one unpaid bill, and the whole thing comes apart.
What strikes you about the fentanyl being there too?
It suggests these weren't ideological gun enthusiasts. This was a criminal enterprise, period. Guns and drugs in the same garage. The people running it were in the business of moving contraband, whatever form it took.
Do you think the DA's statement about "dismantling networks" is realistic?
It's the right language, but it's also acknowledging how widespread this has become. You can arrest three people in Willow Glen, but the kits are still for sale online. The 3D printer files are still out there. You're treating symptoms, not the underlying condition.