WASHINGTON, D.C. -(Ammoland.com)- A judge awarded the District of Columbia $4,038,0000 in damages from Polymer80 from a lawsuit against the maker of partially completed firearms kits.
Washington D.C. filed suit against the retailer of 80% firearms kits claiming that it broke the District’s Consumer Protection Procedures Act (CPPA) law. The Capital City claimed that Polymer80 misled its customers by stating that non-serialized frames were legal in the city. Attorneys from the city claim violations from 2017 to 2022. The evidence was the company’s frequently asked questions (FAQ) section from its website that stated receiver blanks were legal and said people were allowed to build their own guns.
There is no argument that the website stated it was legal to make non-serialized guns, but it was referring to national law, not state or local laws.
D.C. argued that the company should have informed its customers that owning a Polymer80 in Washington. DC was illegal.
“This judgment against Polymer80 is a major victory for D.C. residents and for public safety, and it will help slow the flow of deadly untraceable ghost guns into our community,” Washington, D.C., Attorney General Karl (D) Racine said in a statement. He added, “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.”
Polymer80 and other sellers of non-finished frames and receivers have been the target of lawsuits across the country. New York and Baltimore have both filed suit against the seller of firearms parts. Groups like Brady United and Giffords have been pushing and partnering with cities and states across the country to sue the company. This anti-gun coalition’s mission is to bankrupt any company selling what they deem as “ghost guns.” The Biden administration has declared war on the builder community by pushing the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) to implement Constitutionally dubious rules against the products. During the unveiling of the new regulations in the White House Rose Garden, Racine was present and joined by other Democrat Attorney Generals from around the country.
In addition to the fine, Polymer80 must display on its website product pages that Polymer80s are illegal in D.C.
The company must inform all current, past, and future distributors and dealers that the product is illegal in the city. It also must display a message that the kits are unlawful in Washington, DC on its dealer page.
Polymer80 also is prohibited from selling all “handgun frames, lower receivers, or Buy, Build, Shoot kits and any comparable products to District consumers both directly and indirectly through its dealers and distributors.” The company has not sold products to D.C. residents since 2020.
Finally, the court gave Polymer80 thirty days to pay Washington, D.C., $4,038,000 in civil penalties.
About John Crump
John is a NRA instructor and a constitutional activist. John has written about firearms, interviewed people of all walks of life, and on the Constitution. John lives in Northern Virginia with his wife and sons and can be followed on Twitter at @crumpyss, or at www.crumpy.com.
I am not a lawyer, but to me it seems that the city of Washington D.C. should only follow federal laws since it is not a state only a district.
They don’t have a legislature or senate that make laws and signed by a governor, I feel they don’t have the authority to make a law, let alone find fault with a firearm part that isn’t illegal under federal law.
It is not my area of expertise, but I think that you are correct that Congress makes statutes for the District of Corruption.
that is how it is supposed to work
Add to that Puerto Rico and the other unincorporated territories of the United States.
HLB
d.c. is a federal district which has become the city of washington d.c. they do have city representatives and mayor bow-wow.
from wicked pedia, District of Columbia home rule is District of Columbia residents’ ability to govern their local affairs. As the federal capital, the Constitution grants the United States Congress exclusive jurisdiction over the District in “all cases whatsoever”.
to my understanding that means that they are required to follow federal law and according to scotus decisions this ruling should be appealed and vacated by a higher court.
I agree, and dc should not have been given standing in court was not filed by federal government
Excellent analysis, Sir!
Don’t pay it…ignore the verdict and the law as they do…there is no due process. With the Bruen ruling…counter sue the SOB’s.
Its time everyone took off their kid gloves and started punching back, knocking out some teeth, making the juice they get, not worth the squeeze.
sue them over their standing to sue as dc is a federal zone only federal government has standing across state lines
sue them personal as they do not have standing as a state, for fraud
DC has a point. Makers and distributors might want to put a more general warning on their products: “Living in a Blue Utopia government by Progressive New Left tyrants may be hazardous to your liberty.”
If you bow to them.
The irony here is that firearms may be illegal in DC but criminals apparently aren’t.
Might sound like a dumb question, but what kind of handguns ARE ok to have in DC?
the kind that are not in DC evidently? Who knows at this point in time ROFL
PA, Va, etc is LEGAL & a hour away. Yeah it will slow what down ? Just how many ghost guns were found in crimes ? Let alone DC or little Mexico as I refer to it. lmao
What utter nonsense. The so-called “laws” that prevent home-built firearms are unconstitutional drivel, and DC should be paying its residents $4 million each for violating their rights. Polymer80 should not give DC a penny.
Dumbasses never realize that “the root cause of crime” is the criminals, not the guns/gun makers.
Where does Polymer80 become the nanny of DC residents??? If citizens are responsible for knowing the law, and government is not responsible for advising citizens of the details in laws, how can Polymer80 be held to a higher standard??? This is the government our Founding Fathers warned us about…..
DC Judge. Big surprise!
We live in the United States of America and follow those laws. These States and cities are breaking Federal law by enacting there own laws which are illegal and unconstitutional.