With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today during our fall member drive.
Ghost Gun Manufacturer Agrees To $5 Million Settlement With LA

Topline:
Los Angeles City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto Tuesday announced a $5 million settlement with a Nevada-based ghost gun manufacturer and distributor.
Polymer80 has agreed to:
- Pay $4 million in civil penalties.
- Its two owners agreed to pay an additional $1 million in civil penalties.
- The company is forbidden from providing customer support in assembling ghost guns throughout California.
- It must now conduct a background check of buyers and serialize its ghost gun kits before selling again in the state.
- Polymer80 can no longer say unserialized gun kits are legal in California in its ads or on its website.
Why it matters: City officials say the LAPD has recovered more than 4,200 Polymer80 ghost guns from Jan. 2020 through Feb. 2023.
The backstory: The City Attorney's office, Everytown Law, and Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP filed the suit in Feb. 2021. They claimed that Polymer80 didn't conduct background checks, making it easy for underage folks and people with criminal histories to purchase guns. They argued that disregarded federal Gun Control Act requirements and broke California gun laws.
Go deeper: In wake of Monterey Park mass shooting, new gun laws proposed
At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.

-
Restaurants share resources in the food hall in West Adams as Los Angeles reckons with increasing restaurant closures.
-
It will be the second national day of protest against President Donald Trump.
-
The university says the compact, as the Trump administration called it, could undermine free inquiry and academic excellence.
-
Metro officials said it will be able to announce an opening date “soon.”
-
While working for the county, the DA’s office alleges that 13 employees fraudulently filed for unemployment, claiming to earn less than $600 a week.
-
The L.A. County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted to declare immigration enforcement actions a local emergency.