A major manufacturer of ghost guns agreed, as part of a settlement with the city of Baltimore, to stop selling its untraceable firearms to residents of Maryland.
Baltimore Mayor Brandon M. Scott announced on Wednesday that the city had reached a settlement in a lawsuit brought against Nevada-based Polymer80, which makes so-called "ghost gun" kits in the U.S.
According to the company’s website, it specializes in parts kits containing firearm parts, which includes unfinished receivers used to make privately made firearms.
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Baltimore officials said Polymer80 falsely classified its kits as "non-firearms," and ultimately, many of their products ended up in the hands of minors and convicted felons.
"Nine out of 10 homicides in Baltimore City are committed with guns," Scott said. "As I have promised, the city is using every tool at its disposal to address the epidemic of gun violence we face, and our comprehensive approach is finally seeing success in driving down violence."
As part of the settlement, Baltimore will receive $1.2 million in damages from Polymer80.
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The gun part manufacturer will also be permanently prohibited from advertising in Maryland or selling ghost guns to state residents.
Additionally, firearms dealers in neighboring states that sell Polymer80 products are not permitted to sell ghost guns to Maryland, and must cease all customer support to Maryland while providing quarterly reports to Baltimore, showing every sale of ghost guns to neighboring states.
Baltimore officials said the settlement terms "account for the most expansive and strictest" terms to this point in any lawsuit brought by jurisdictions across the U.S., against ghost gun manufacturers.
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"We must hold everyone who has a hand in this violence accountable, from those who choose to pull the trigger, all the way up to the gun dealers and manufacturers responsible for the flow of guns into our city," Scott said. "This settlement – and the statement it sends about the harmful impact of these ghost guns – is a critical victory for the effort to confront gun violence in our communities."
The city partnered with the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence when filing lawsuits against Polymer80 and Hanover Armory in 2022, after an increase in ghost guns appearing on the streets of Baltimore and in the hands of minors.
Polymer80 did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on the settlement.
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The case against Hanover Armory was not part of the settlement and is expected to go to trial in October 2024.
City officials said police seized 462 ghost guns in 2023, and so far this year, the Baltimore Police Department has seized 43 ghost guns, or 30% more than this time last year.
