Families of gun violence victims have started suing Polymer50, the largest ghost gun kit manufacturer, representing a potential new front in the fight against the weapons, reports The Trace. In less than 10 years, ghost guns have emerged as a leading weapon of choice for criminals, according to law enforcement officials across the country. Aside from being untraceable, ghost guns can also be sold without background checks, meaning the weapons can fall into the hands of people legally barred from having them.
States and cities, including Philadelphia, have also filed lawsuits against ghost gun manufacturers and enacted laws aimed at stopping them from doing business. Philadelphia's ghost gun problem prompted it to sue Polymer80 in May 2023, alleging that it worsened the city’s gun violence crisis and endangered public safety. The city and Polymer80 reached a settlement barring Polymer80 from ever selling its products in Philadelphia; requiring it to pay the city $1.3 million over four years; and preventing it from marketing or selling its gun kits in surrounding counties for four years. Other cities have reached similar settlements with Polymer80. In Los Angeles, a settlement last year paid the city $5 million and banned the sale of ghost guns across California. This February, Baltimore settled for $1.2 million and a ban on sales across Maryland.