Homemade Gunmaker Coughs Up $5 Million and Agrees to Comply With New Regulations
Jose Nino
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Polymer80, the nation’s biggest manufacturer of at-home gun assembly kits, agreed to pay out $5 million in penalties to conclude a civil suit, per the Los Angeles City Attorney’s office.
These are derisively called “ghost guns” due to how they usually come without serial numbers and are impossible to track. The settlement’s terms were outlined on May 30, 2023. Per the announcement, Nevada-based Polymer80 will be permanently barred from selling its “buy, build, shoot” kits to customers in California “without first conducting background checks of buyers and without utilizing serial numbers on its products.” Additionally, it will “no longer be able to provide customer support to assist individuals attempting to construct its ghost guns in California.”
The company also reached an agreement to pay out $4 million in civil penalties, whereas its two founders must pay an additional $1 million.
Back in February 2021, then-LA City Attorney Mike Feuer filed a public nuisance lawsuit against Polymer80 on behalf of the state of California. In the complaint, Feuer made an attempt to connect several shootings to Polymer80 firearms.
Polymer80’s kits are generally known as “blanks,” or “unfinished frames” frames for pistols, “unfinished receivers” for rifles. The company sells all the necessary parts to build an AR-15 style rifle in addition to various handguns. On top of building them at home, the buyer has to drill several holes in the receiver with the use of either a drill press or a milling machine. In the majority of cases, the buyer must tack on components such as the barrel and trigger.
Many of Polymer80’s kits are prohibited in over a dozen states. In 2022, a District of Columbia judge ruled that Polymer80’s kits were illegal in Washington, DC.
Ghost guns are clearly the boogieman here. Gun Control Inc. knows it can’t pass gun control in one fell swoop. Instead, it will pursue gradualist measures against ghost guns and other accessories. The entire long game here is to abolish the right to bear arms. For that reason, we must constantly remain vigilant.
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