New York City Hall targets manufacturer Polymer80 in fight against ghost guns
NEW YORK -- The NYPD is going after ghost guns in New York, and now City Hall is specifically targeting one manufacturer, which the mayor says is responsible for the vast majority of these illegal firearms.
At a press conference Wednesday, Mayor Eric Adams displayed some of the 150 ghost guns recovered by the NYPD so far this year -- more than triple the amount compared to this time last year.
"This is not a toy," Adams said. "The bad guys are outpacing us. We are too slow to identify and correct the loopholes in violence."
Police say it was a ghost gun that was used to kill 16-year-old Angellyh Yambo in the Bronx in April.
These firearms are untraceable and can be made with 3D printers or assembled from kits purchased online.
"These guns are being sold on the street anywhere from $1,000 or $1,500," said NYPD Inspector Courtney Nilan.
The NYPD says 90 percent of recovered ghost guns are made with parts from the manufacturer Polymer80, a Nevada-based company already facing lawsuits, including from the D.C. Attorney General.
"The companies that sell them don't ask if you have a permit, they don't ask if you have a gun license and they don't require you to go through a background check," Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell said.
Wednesday, Sewell is meeting with federal officials from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives as City Hall sends a letter to ATF, calling on them to revoke Polymer80's firearms license.
"This ghost gun manufacturer has long been on notice that its products and business practices violate the law and have contributed to real harm," said Nick Suplina, senior vice president of law and policy for Everytown for Gun Safety.
CBS2's Ali Bauman asked the mayor if he expects ATF to revoke Polymer80's license by the summer, and if not, how the city is preparing for a potential influx of ghost guns during the summer months, when gun violence notoriously tends to spike.
"The goal is, hopefully, that we can get the ATF to do so, but if not, we have to focus on those we believe are the dangerous gun carriers," Adams said. "We're gonna have to put more units out there if needed to focus on those violent gangs and do the precision policing that has brought us this success so far."
ATF says it has no cannot comment on the city's letter, and we're still waiting on a response from Polymer80.