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Polymer80

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American manufacturer of firearm parts kits
Polymer80, Inc.
Polymer80 logo
IndustryFirearms
FoundedMay 2013; 11 years ago (2013-05)
FoundersLoran L. Kelley Jr
David Borges
DefunctJuly 25, 2024 (2024-07-25)
FateCeased Operations due to overwhelming cost of lawsuits.
Headquarters134 Lakes Blvd, Dayton, Nevada, United States
Key peopleLoran L. Kelley Jr - President, CEO
ProductsFirearm parts kits
OwnerLoran Kelley Jr.
Number of employees50 (2022)
Websitewww.polymer80.com Edit this at Wikidata

Polymer80, Inc. was an American manufacturer of parts kits containing firearm parts including unfinished receivers (also known as "80 percent" receivers) used for making privately made firearms. The company was founded in 2013 by Loran Kelley Jr. and David Borges and was headquartered in Dayton, Nevada. Polymer80 received press coverage because of the use of their products in crimes involving so-called "ghost guns", which in specific cases has resulted in lawsuits being brought against the company. As of July 25th, 2024 Polymer80 ceased operations and began liquidating its assets.

Background

See also: Gun law in the United States

Under U.S. federal law, the creation and possession of firearms for non-commercial purposes (i.e. personal use) is legal, and a license is generally not required if the created weapon will not be transferred in, for example, a sale. In contrast, since 1968, persons intending to manufacture firearms for sale or distribution must have a Federal Firearms License, and each firearm must bear a unique serial number.

Under U.S. law, only a particular part of a weapon is considered to be a "firearm", most often the receiver. This can be completed from raw material, an "unfinished receiver", or a so-called "80 percent receiver", though the last of these being a non-legal term the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, or ATF, does not recognize. While some states have passed laws restricting the creation of privately made firearms, unfinished receivers are typically sold without the requirement of federal or state background checks. However, some scholars have argued that the existing state regulations may be unconstitutional. Finishing work on these receivers may be performed with machine tools, a common drill press, or hand-held rotary tools such as the popular Dremel. Companies typically sell kits that include drill bits, stencils, or jigs to aid the process, with basic proficiency with those tools required. Starting from the 2010s, 80% completed polymer frames became more popular, requiring only hand tools to finish them. Companies such as Polymer80 became well known for being a top producer of 80% frames compatible with Glock Gen 3 parts and above.

History

The company was founded by Loran Kelley Jr. and David Borges in March 2013. The first project undertaken by the company was an injection molded AR-15 rifle lower receiver. The company then moved to AR-10 style rifle lower receivers, and finally pistol receivers. The name of the company refers to the injection molding process combined with the common designation of unfinished receivers as "80% receivers".

The first version of the Glock compatible handgun debuted in 2016, with a follow up that arrived in 2017. The company expanded the options available to consumers in 2019 by offering more Glock compatible frames in more colors and with more options for grip feel.

In 2019, Defense Distributed announced that their Ghost Gunner automated CNC milling machines would be able to mill Glock 19-style Polymer80 compact frames.

The company markets their kits as "Buy Build Shoot".

Co-founder David Borges retired in 2021. Loran Kelley Sr., who became a partner in the first year of Polymer80, passed away in January 2022. Loran Kelly Jr. is the current President and CEO of the company.

According to The Daily Beast, Polymer80 received a $371,000 PPP loan in mid-2021 for their reported 31 employees during the COVID-19 pandemic.

As of around July 25, 2024, Polymer80 has ceased business reportedly due to the overwhelming cost of defending itself in court. This is despite the fact that 80% gun frames continue to be proven legal in court.

Products

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Polymer80 sells a variety of lower frames and receivers compatible with various models of Glock handguns. They include:

  • PF940v2 – full-frame pistol kit, compatible with Glock 17, 34, 17L in 9×19mm; Glock 22, 35, 24 in .40 S&W; and Glock 31 in .357 SIG
  • PF940c – compact pistol kit, compatible with Gen3 Glock 19 in 9×19mm and Glock 23 in .40 S&W
  • PF940sc – subcompact kit, compatible with Glock 26, chambered in 9×19mm
  • PF9SS – subcompact kit, compatible with Glock 43, Gen 4, chambered in 9×19mm
  • PF45 – large frame, compatible with Glock G21SF, chambered in .45 ACP

Controversies

The ATF raided the company's headquarters on December 10, 2020. Washington, D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine filed a civil lawsuit against the company for advertising its products within D.C. in June 2019, apparently for the company violating D.C.'s gun laws.

The company sought to intervene in a lawsuit brought forth by the state and parents of the victims in the 2019 Saugus High School shooting against the Department of Justice for their failure to classify receiver blanks like the type Polymer80 sells as firearms under federal law.

In February 2021, the Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer announced that the city along with advocacy group Everytown Law filed a lawsuit against the company for allegedly selling their kits in violation of federal and state law. In June 2021, two Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department deputies injured in a shooting by a felon using a Polymer80 handgun sued the company for "negligently and unlawfully an untraceable home-assembled gun kit that resulted in the September attack in Compton."

The company opposed a Nevada state law that would criminalize receiver blank sellers and buyers. The law was struck down by Nevada's state courts, which then CEO David Borges called "a significant victory". On May 21, 2021, the Nevada Legislature passed Assembly Bill 286 to prohibit the sale of privately made firearms and the receiver blanks used to make them.

The Los Angeles Police Department reported that nearly 90 percent of privately made firearms recovered by the department in 2021 were from Polymer80.

The city of Baltimore filed a lawsuit against the company for making worse a "public health crisis" of violence associated with the use of privately made firearms. The lawsuit was filed on June 1, 2022, the same day that Maryland's law reclassifying "unfinished receivers" as firearms went into effect.

A 2022 study collected data about firearms recovered by police after being used in a crime. In the twelve American cities studied, Polymer80 was the fifth most commonly found brand, at 3.8%.

On July 5, 2023, the city of Philadelphia filed a lawsuit against Polymer80 and another receiver blank supplier following a mass shooting two days prior that left five people dead.

References

  1. "Does an individual need a license to make a firearm for personal use?". www.atf.gov. Archived from the original on October 1, 2017. Retrieved October 3, 2017.
  2. Pane, Lisa Marie (November 24, 2019). "'Ghost Guns' Are Untraceable, Easy to Make". Antelope Valley Press. Associated Press. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
  3. How to Make a Homemade Gun (Full Length), retrieved 2021-09-12
  4. "What is an "80%" or "unfinished" receiver?". atf.gov. Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
  5. "District seeks to ban 'ghost gun' kits as seizures of homemade weapons soar". The Washington Post. February 27, 2020. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
  6. McWilliam, Jamie (26 March 2022). "The Unconstitutionality of Unfinished Receiver Bans". Harv. J.L. & Pub. Pol'y per Curiam (9). Cambridge, MA.
  7. Sam Stanton; Denny Walsh (December 19, 2015). "California black market surges for ghost guns". Sacramento Bee.
  8. Blackman, Josh (June 14, 2014). "The 1st Amendment, 2nd Amendment, And 3d Printed Guns". 81 Tennessee Law Review 479 (2014). p. 511. SSRN 2450663.
  9. Greenberg, Andy (June 3, 2015). "I Made an Untraceable AR-15 Ghost Gun in My Office And It Was Easy". Wired. Archived from the original on October 20, 2016. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
  10. "Polymer80's Name Has Become Synonymous With 'Ghost Guns.' Now It's in the Crosshairs". NBC New York. Retrieved 2022-04-22.
  11. "ATF's New 'Ghost Gun' Rules Are as Clear as Mud". Reason.com. 2022-04-12. Retrieved 2022-04-22.
  12. "New Polymer80 PF940v2 Coming This Fall -". The Firearm Blog. 2017-08-15. Retrieved 2022-04-22.
  13. ^ "How to (Legally) Make Your Own Off-the-Books Handgun". Reason.com. 2018-05-31. Retrieved 2022-06-06.
  14. ^ Bond, Noah. "MADE IN NEVADA: Polymer80". kolotv.com. Retrieved 2022-05-06.
  15. Merrill, Dave (2016-12-02). "Polymer 80 80% Pistol Frame V.1 - The Ghost Glock". Recoil. Retrieved 2022-05-06.
  16. "10 Steps to Building a Glock Using a Polymer80 PF940 Frame Kit". Ballistic Magazine. 2017-05-29. Retrieved 2022-05-06.
  17. Kraut, Adam (2019-05-02). "Polymer80's Production Pistols". Recoil. Retrieved 2022-05-06.
  18. "Polymer80 Launch Announcement – Ghost Gunner". ghostgunner.net. Retrieved 2022-05-06.
  19. ^ Glover, Scott (2020-12-11). "Feds raid 'ghost gun' maker whose products they say are linked to 'hundreds of crimes'". CNN. Retrieved 2022-05-06.
  20. "One company's name has become synonymous with 'ghost guns.' Now it's under intense scrutiny". NBC News. Retrieved 2022-05-07.
  21. Haley, Jennifer (2022-01-20). "OBITUARY: Loran Lee Kelley Sr". Rutherford Source. Retrieved 2022-05-07.
  22. Staff, Game & Fish (2022-01-19). "In Memoriam: Loran Kelley Sr., Polymer80 Founder, Home Gun Building Pioneer - Game & Fish". Game and Fish. Retrieved 2022-05-07.
  23. Rohrlich, Justin (2021-06-14). "'Ghost Gun' Company Got $400K Government Bailout—During Federal Probe". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2022-05-07.
  24. Willis, Moiz Syed,Derek (2020-07-07). "POLYMER80, INC. - Tracking PPP". ProPublica. Retrieved 2022-05-07.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  25. Cody (2024-08-14). "Polymer 80 Shuts Down & Closes Doors". Husky Armory. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  26. "Super Weapon or Super Dud: How Good Is the Polymer 80 Glock Gun?". The National Interest. 2019-07-19. Retrieved 2022-06-06.
  27. "PF940v2 80% Full Size Frame Kit - Black". Polymer80. Retrieved 2022-05-30.
  28. "The Polymer80 PF940V2 Ghost Gun kit". SOFREP. Retrieved 2022-06-06.
  29. Murphy, Austin (2021-11-12). "How easy is it to build a ghost gun? We asked our reporter to find out". Santa Rosa Press Democrat. Retrieved 2022-06-06.
  30. "PF940SC 80% SubCompact Frame Kit – Black". Polymer80. Retrieved 2022-05-30.
  31. "PF9SS 80% Single Stack Pistol Frame Kit-Black". Polymer80. Retrieved 2022-05-30.
  32. "PF45 80% Large Frame Kit Black". Polymer80. Retrieved 2022-05-30.
  33. "AG Racine Sues Gun Manufacturer Polymer80 for Illegally Advertising and Selling Untraceable Firearms to District Consumers". oag.dc.gov. Retrieved 2022-05-06.
  34. "Polymer80 looking to intervene in Saugus High victims' parents' lawsuit over ghost guns". Santa Clarita Valley Signal. 2021-01-30. Retrieved 2022-05-06.
  35. Winton, Richard (2021-02-18). "City sues 'ghost gun' maker Polymer80; LAPD says more than 700 seized weapons are tied to its parts". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2022-05-06.
  36. Jablon, Robert (2021-08-10). "L.A. County deputies who were shot in Compton ambush sue maker of 'ghost gun' kit". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2022-05-07.
  37. ^ "LA Deputies to sue Polymer80 after being shot by one of its home-made 'ghost guns'". 3D Printing Industry. 2021-08-11. Retrieved 2022-05-07.
  38. "State judge strikes down key parts of Nevada's 'ghost gun' ban". The Nevada Independent. Retrieved 2022-05-07.
  39. "Nevada judge strikes 'ghost gun' provisions from new firearms law". Las Vegas Review-Journal. 2021-12-14. Retrieved 2022-05-07.
  40. Damon, Anjeanette. "Why Outlawing Ghost Guns Didn't Stop America's Largest Maker of Ghost Gun Parts". ProPublica. Retrieved 2022-09-04.
  41. "AB286 Overview". www.leg.state.nv.us. Retrieved 2022-09-04.
  42. Stallworth, Leo (2022-03-25). "LAPD launches buyback program aimed at getting 'ghost guns' off streets". ABC7 Los Angeles. Retrieved 2022-05-07.
  43. Wiggins, Ovetta (1 June 2022). "Baltimore mayor: "Ghost gun" company fueled public health crisis". Washington Post. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
  44. Vera, Amir; Watts, Amanda (1 June 2022). "Baltimore files lawsuit against 'ghost gun' manufacturer Polymer80, accusing the company of causing a public health crisis". CNN. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
  45. Katersky, Aaron. "5 manufacturers responsible for over half of guns seized in a dozen cities: Study". ABC News. Retrieved 2022-07-26.
  46. Gartland, Michael. "Mayor Adams takes aim at five top U.S. weapon-makers during NYC anti-gun summit: 'Profit over our public safety'". New York Daily News. Retrieved 2022-07-26.
  47. Mascarenhas, Aya Elamroussi,Lauren (2023-07-06). "Philadelphia mass shooting was 'obviously planned,' DA says. But investigation could still take months". CNN. Retrieved 2023-07-07.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

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