DC attorney general wins $4M in fight against ghost gun maker

Washington, D.C., Attorney General Karl Racine (D) announced Thursday his office has won a $4 million court judgment against ghost gun maker and distributor Polymer80. 

In a news release, Racine’s office said a court ruled that Polymer80 had violated the District’s Consumer Protection Procedures Act by selling and distributing illegal firearms in the city and making false and misleading claims about the legality of its products. 

Polymer80 has been prohibited from selling its products to customers in the city, including through its own website and its dealers and distributors. The ruling mandates that the company inform its dealers and distributors that its products cannot be sold in the city and to “place prominent notifications on each product page that its products are illegal to purchase and possess.” 

The company was also ordered to pay more than $4 million in penalties after the court found that it sold products to more than 19 city residents and made illegal misrepresentations to consumers, including making false claims that its consumers had the right to possess its products in the city and that it had approval to sell firearms to residents, the news release said. 

The Hill has reached out to Polymer80 for comment.

Racine filed the lawsuit against Polymer80 in 2020, alleging that the gun manufacturer illegally advertised and sold untraceable firearms to city residents. The lawsuit led the city to implement a preliminary injunction, resulting in a cease of sales of Polymer80 products in the city. 

“This judgment against Polymer80 is a major victory for DC residents and for public safety, and it will help slow the flow of deadly untraceable ghost guns into our community,” Racine said in a statement, adding that it is important to combat the issue of gun violence in the city and that his office will “do everything in our power” to keep residents safe. 

“It’s why we work to implement innovative, data-driven approaches to respond to people who violate the law, address the root causes of crime to prevent people from reoffending, and—like we did in this case—use the law to reduce the number of guns on our streets,” Racine added. 

“The more than $4 million in penalties imposed by the court in this case should send a strong message to firearm manufacturers, distributors, and dealers across the country: you cannot sell illegal guns to DC residents.”

Racine joined a coalition of more than 20 Democrat attorneys general last month who backed the Biden administration’s initiative to crack down on the distribution of ghost guns, urging a federal judge to reject a legal challenge to a new federal rule that requires the serialization of weapon parts kits and requires background checks to purchase the type of weapons.