California Strikes Deal with Major Ghost Gun Manufacturers to Cease Production and Sales
In a decisive move for California's gun control efforts, three key manufacturers of ghost guns have agreed to halt their production and sale of the unserialized, and often untraceable, firearms within the state. As detailed in joint announcements from both the GIFFORDS Law Center and various state officials, Blackhawk Manufacturing Group, MDX Corporation, and GS Performance, which operates as Glockstore, are now bound by a settlement to end their erstwhile lucrative trade in these DIY assembly kits.
With the shadow of upticks in firearm-related deaths looming large, escalating from 25% to 50% at California crime scenes recently, these companies are settling with the Golden State to the tune of $675,000 in civil penalties — a breakdown reported by the San Francisco Chronicle has Blackhawk remitting $500,000, while Glockstore and MDX are responsible for $120,000 and $55,000, respectively. The ramifications for public health and safety, as the officials assert, are not minuscule, given that a staggering 65% of ghost guns were recovered in California according to a 2020 federal report.
For Attorney General Rob Bonta, this is a stride towards reining in a “largely chaotic industry that is a massive threat to public safety,” as he told GIFFORDS Law Center. Coupled with this administrative settlement, legislative moves, such as the 2021 San Francisco ban on ghost gun kits and a parallel state law enacted the next year, fortify California's framework against these firearms.
Further emphasizing the impact, Esther Sanchez-Gomez, GIFFORDS Law Center's Litigation Director, heralded the agreements as a lifeline that will prevent untraceable guns from perpetuating a cycle of violence within the state. Meanwhile, representatives of the targeted ghost gun companies, which had previously navigate the legal landscape, remain scarcely forthcoming post-settlement.
On the heels of the settlement, the Biden administration faces its own challenges surrounding ghost gun regulation. The U.S. District Judge Edward Chen's order earlier this year, compelling the application of rules to semiautomatic parts, marks the latest legal juncture. It necessitates that these ghost gun components must carry serial numbers and be subject to background checks, a departure from the Trump administration's approach, and yet the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms have appeal to Chen's ruling in response.
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