The Courts are the key to gun regulation. We should set them free of the PLCAA

[AndyS]

LA Officers to sue Polymer80 after being shot by one of it's home made ghost guns

Two LA Sheriff’s Deputies have initiated legal proceedings against pistol kit manufacturer Polymer80 after being shot by one of its firearms last year. 
In their lawsuit, the officers allege that Polymer80 negligently sold an “untraceable home-assembled ghost gun kit,” which later seriously injured them during an ambush in Compton. The case is just the latest in a string of attempts by U.S. authorities to clamp down on unlicensed firearms, but it could set a precedent for future issues that arise around self-assembled guns, which are often 3D printed. 

Deputies Claudia Apolinar and Emmanuel Perez-Perez’s case is predicated on an ambush that took place in September 2020, during which they were shot in the head and arms while sitting in their police cruiser. Since then, neither officer has been able to return to work, with Apolinar suffering a broken jaw and arms, and Perez-Perez requiring the implantation of metal plates to hold his bones together. 
The case raises issues around homemade firearms given that the Deputies’ alleged assailant Deonte Lee Murray had previous criminal convictions, and was unable to buy a normal gun. Despite this, Murray managed to acquire a PF940C kit, which is designed as a frame replacement for a Glock 19 or 23, without Polymer80 notifying the authorities, before attacking law enforcement officers late last year. 

https://3dprintingindustry.com/news/la-deputies-to-sue-polymer80-after-being-shot-by-one-of-its-home-made-ghost-guns-194299/

They can sue because Polymer80 doesn't sell guns so they don't get to claim protection under the PLCAA.

The kit includes everything needed to assemble a complete firearm. All that needs to be done is some minor finish work like drilling a few holes to make the 'gun part' into a 'gun'. It also sells for more than the 'real' gun available in any gun store. Why would anyone spend more money and invest the time and energy to drill and fit parts instead of just buying the gun? Oh, that's right, some people can't pass a background check!

The law suit also says that the Polymer80 knew their firearms were likely to be used for criminal purposes, and that the shooter was able to commit the ambush because Polymer80's created a direct and secondary market with easy access to ghost guns. The shooter chose to shoot the Deputies with this Polymer80 ghost gun because he knew it was untraceable.

The whole 'ghost gun' industry, and it is and industry, will be hard to regulate. With a third of all crime guns in California being 'home made' with no way to trace them indicates that ghost guns are a major issue in gun violence.

The Biden administration wants to serialize the partly finished guns and repeal the PLCAA.

That's a start.

[TheRealNorth]

1. This sounds like a great place to start.

Could make some great political ads against Republicans that refuse to back restrictions against these kits.

[crickets]

2. Sue them out of business.

Back in April, it was reported that the Biden administration was seeking changes that would see all home-made firearms become recognized as guns, which require serial numbers and checks.

There's more in the article regarding jurisdiction over 3D printed guns and an overturned ban on sharing gun files.

But all of this points to a very simple question: why are gun kits legal in the first place? If the final product is a firearm, buyers should have to buy a firearm. That would include all that goes with it: a formal bill of sale, a background check, and a serial number.