The lawsuit claims that Polyerm80 is driving crime in Baltimore by selling ghost gun kits and components online.
The City of Baltimore has filed a lawsuit against Polymer80, Inc., among the largest manufacturers of “ghost guns” nationwide.
According to CNN, Baltimore officials have accused Polymer80 of creating a “public health crisis” by flooding the city’s streets with practically untraceable firearms.
Additionally, city officials said that the company “intentionally undermines federal and state firearms laws by designing, manufacturing, selling and providing ghost gun kits and parts to buyers who do not undergo a background check.”
The lawsuit is seeking “compensatory damages for policing costs to the City of Baltimore, punitive damages and injunctive relief requiring Polymer80 to stop the flow of ghost guns into Baltimore City.”
City Mayor Brandon Scott hosted a press conference on Wednesday, telling reporters that that Baltimore plans to crack down on ghost guns.
“We have to crack down on the companies that are profiting off the destruction and death within our communities,” Scott said. “We all know that ghost guns continue to be a huge challenge for Baltimore city. They are a growing menace to the people of Baltimore and quite frankly to residents across the country.”
“Ghost guns,” notes CNN, are typically put together by individual users, many of whom acquire parts and plans online.
A typical ghost gun could be assembled in as little as 30 minutes.
Since ghost guns do not have serial numbers, they cannot easily be traced back to an individual owner or manufacturer.
According to CNN, in Baltimore alone, an estimated 19% of all firearms recovered in Baltimore in the last year have been ghost guns.
But before 2019, many local law enforcement officers had never even heard the term.
“Quite frankly, if a young person can’t drink or buy alcohol from a liquor store, if they can’t rent a car, they shouldn’t be able to go online and buy a ghost gun,” Scott said.
CNN notes that Maryland law prohibits the sale and possession of ghost guns.
In their lawsuit, city officials say that Polymer80 is intentionally circumventing specific statutes, including the Gun Control Act, the Maryland Handgun Register Law, and the Maryland Handgun Qualification License law.
“Polymer80 has fueled and profited from gun violence in Baltimore City and across the country by selling these ghost guns,” Scott wrote in a Baltimore Sun opinion-editorial. “Their business has ignited existing tensions, claimed lives, shattered families, and burdened our health care and social service systems. This trauma has taken a toll on Baltimore communities, impacting individuals’ decisions, limiting their economic opportunities and eradicating any sense of security in their own homes. Polymer80′s actions have directly affected the safety and well-being of Baltimore residents and the health of this city.”
Sources
Baltimore City to sue large national ghost gun manufacturer
City lawsuit accuses Polymer80 of “flooding” streets with untraceable firearms
City of Baltimore Files Lawsuit Against Ghost Gun Manufacturer Polymer80
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