The City will receive $1.3 Million in compensation over four years, distributors will halt ghost gun sales in Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA — Today, the City of Philadelphia announced that it has reached a settlement agreement to resolve its lawsuit against Polymer80, Inc. and JSD Supply, which are among the largest suppliers of ghost guns confiscated in Philadelphia. The City of Philadelphia Law Department filed the lawsuit with co-counsel GIFFORDS Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence and the Hausfeld law firm in May of 2023, alleging that the named defendants have perpetuated the gun violence crisis and threatened the public’s right to health and safety by illegally distributing unserialized ghost gun kits in Philadelphia.
The settlement agreement prohibits Polymer80 from ever advertising or selling ghost gun kits in Philadelphia. Additionally, the agreement prevents the company from marketing or selling kits in the surrounding counties for four years. The City will also receive $1.3 Million in compensation which will be used for efforts to prevent and remediate the harms caused by the gun violence crisis. The City will receive the payments from Polymer80 over four years.
The settlement also requires JSD Supply, the biggest distributor of ghost guns in Pennsylvania, to stop selling ghost guns kits to consumers in Pennsylvania for four years. Eagle Shows, a gun show operated by JSD Supply, will prevent vendors from selling ghost guns at their events for two years.
“Ghost guns fuel and cause harm to Philadelphians,” said Mayor Cherelle L. Parker. “This settlement agreement reached by our city Law Department under Solicitor Renee Garcia, her team, and our external legal partners means that the two largest manufacturers and distributors of ghost gun parts can no longer distribute or market them in Philadelphia. That’s a huge win for our public safety efforts.”
“Polymer80 Inc. and JSD Supply sell ghost gun kits that can be used to assemble an unserialized, fully functioning firearm in minutes, without conducting a background check. The kits are accessible to people who are not legally permitted to carry a gun, including children, and the consequences in our communities have been devastating,” said Renee Garcia, City Solicitor. “We are grateful to reach this resolution to hold these companies accountable and stop them from marketing and selling to consumers in Philadelphia. The Law Department will continue to use every legal tool available to stop the flow of crime guns into our communities.”
“Ghost guns have plagued the streets of Philadelphia, leading to more Pennsylvanians senselessly losing their lives. Polymer80 and JSD Supply’s reckless business practices perpetrated this crisis and threatened public safety,” said David Pucino, Legal Director and Deputy Chief Counsel at GIFFORDS Law Center. “We’re proud to have worked with the city and our co-counsel, the Hausfeld law firm, to secure a settlement with Polymer80 and JSD Supply, and keep ghost guns out of Philadelphia neighborhoods. The gun industry must be held accountable when it breaks the law and endangers Americans.”
“Ghost guns are a nightmare for law enforcement in Philadelphia and across the nation,” said Police Commissioner Kevin J. Bethel. “They’re far too easy to access online or through private sellers, with no background checks required. This means these dangerous weapons can easily fall into the wrong hands, including juveniles. This settlement agreement marks an important step in keeping our communities safe. By mitigating a source of untraceable firearms, we’re making it harder for criminals and young people to get their hands on these deadly weapons. I applaud the City’s tireless work in securing this agreement.”
“I want to congratulate Mayor Cherelle Parker’s administration and the City Solicitor’s Office for reaching this important settlement,” said Council President, Kenyatta Johnson, who got a law approved several years ago to help the City crack down on ghost guns. “Ghost guns in the hands of criminals are a growing problem for law enforcement nationwide, including Philadelphia. I will continue to work with Mayor Parker and City Council to reduce the number of ghost guns in the hands of Philadelphians and create a city of peace not guns.”
Click here to view the full settlement agreements.
About Ghost Guns
A “ghost gun” is a firearm that is privately manufactured, home-assembled, and untraceable. Ghost guns are sold in unfinished, disassembled form and then assembled into fully functional guns by purchasers, at home, using common household tools. Typically, ghost guns (a) start off as an easy-to-finish frame or receiver blank purchased in a kit or separately along with other necessary parts and (b) are assembled by the purchaser into a completed and functional firearm that has no serial number.
Ghost guns can be acquired without a background check and are used often by those who cannot legally acquire a firearm, including minors and people with a history of felonies. Additionally, because they are unserialized and cannot be traced by law enforcement to their original purchaser, it is unknown how many ghost guns are on the streets of Philadelphia today.
Philadelphia law enforcement are increasingly recovering ghost guns in a wide variety of criminal investigations involving drugs, juvenile possession, and intimate partner violence. Ghost guns have also been involved in suicides, where firearm access plays a crucial role in mortality rate of suicide attempts.
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