Golden State Today

California Attorney General Rob Bonta and San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins announced final judgments against Blackhawk Manufacturing, GS Performance LLC (Glockstore), and MDX Corporation. The judgments permanently prohibit these companies from manufacturing or selling unserialized ghost gun kits and firearm precursor parts in California. Additionally, the companies will pay civil penalties of $500,000 from Blackhawk, $120,000 from Glockstore, and $55,000 from MDX.

"The manufacture and sale of ghost gun kits has created a largely chaotic industry that is a massive threat to public safety," said Attorney General Rob Bonta. "As firearm-related deaths and injuries rise, we must look for upstream interventions that get to the crux of the gun violence epidemic. Getting these manufacturers and retailers to keep untraceable ghost guns off the market is a big win for public health and safety in California."

District Attorney Brooke Jenkins emphasized the significance of the judgment: "The influx of unlawful and untraceable ghost guns poses a serious public safety issue to residents of San Francisco and the State at large. This lawsuit should serve as a reminder that firearms laws must be followed, particularly with respect to the importation and sale of firearm precursor parts into California."

Esther Sanchez-Gomez, Litigation Director at GIFFORDS Law Center, added: "This is huge for California and the national fight against ghost guns. These reckless ghost gun sellers were selling ghost gun kits to California consumers who could not lawfully assemble them. Keeping these untraceable guns out of the state will save lives."

Brook Dooley from Keker, Van Nest & Peters LLP noted: "We are proud to work alongside Attorney General Bonta, District Attorney Jenkins, and the Giffords Law Center to help end the manufacture, distribution, and sale of ghost gun kits in California. These manufacturers have circumvented California’s gun safety laws for far too long."

Ghost gun kits pose significant public safety threats as they can be assembled into fully functional weapons quickly without serial numbers or background checks. This makes them attractive to individuals prohibited from purchasing firearms legally.

The complaint filed in 2021 alleged violations of both state consumer protection laws and federal firearms regulations by these companies. The defendants reportedly sold unserialized kits without adhering to necessary background checks or recordkeeping requirements.

Under the terms of the judgments, Blackhawk, Glockstore, and MDX are prohibited from manufacturing or selling any unserialized firearm precursor parts in or into California. They are also barred from making statements suggesting it is legal to purchase or assemble such items within the state.

Since filing this complaint, California's AB 1621 was passed in 2022 making it generally illegal to sell unserialized firearm precursor parts in the state.

Attorney General Bonta reiterated his commitment to reducing gun violence through various measures including defending California’s existing gun laws, educating on prevention strategies via his office's data reports on gun violence trends across both state and national levels; drafting regulations related specifically towards identifying firearm precursors among others like sponsoring Assembly Bill 1594 aimed at increasing accountability within firearms industry along supporting initiatives such as Gun Violence Prevention School Safety Act (AB28).