‘Ghost Guns’ Case Before Supreme Court Has Major Implications for Industry in Flux

A small company operating out of a warehouse on the edge of a sagebrush airstrip near Carson City, Nev., temporarily halted its operations this summer, which gun control groups hailed as a major victory in their fight to stem the spread of unregulated firearms in America.

The company, Polymer80, was for a time the country’s largest manufacturer and online seller of the components used to assemble the untraceable homemade weapons known as “ghost guns.” The weapons fueled a surge in gun crime after the onset of the coronavirus pandemic across the country, particularly in California, according to law enforcement officials.

Hit by a wave of lawsuits, the company also struggled to cope with new regulations imposed by the Biden administration that restricted the sale of the components. In July, Polymer80’s embattled owner announced on social media, “we are shut down… for now” to evaluate the feasibility of his business model.