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Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón announced Tuesday that his office will be pressuring three credit card companies to stop online payments for home-built firearm kits. according to a press release.

“American Express, Mastercard and Visa have the ability to go beyond what any law enforcement agency, legislature or city council can accomplish,”  Gascón said in the press release. “We are asking these companies to join us in stemming the flow of ghost guns into our communities by preventing a ghost gun kit from being sold with a few mere clicks on a smartphone or computer.”

Gascón was joined by LAPD Chief Michel Moore and San Gabriel Police Chief Gene Harris, who is president of the Los Angeles County Police Chiefs’ Association.

Click here to read the letter sent to American Express.

Click here to read the letter sent to Mastercard.

To be clear, Americans have been making firearms in their homes, legally, for hundreds of years. In fact, home-built firearms are legal throughout most of the country.

In their announcement, Los Angeles officials cited puzzling statistics: “Since 2017, the number of ghost guns seized by the Los Angeles Police Department has increased by approximately 400 percent and the trend is accelerating. During 2020, LAPD recovered 813 ghost guns. During the first 11 months of 2021, the amount recovered more than doubled to 1,780. Last August, LAPD reported that ghost guns accounted for 33 percent of all guns it recovered in suspected criminal activity.”

Armed American News has contacted dozens of senior law enforcement executives, who have all said that home-built firearms do not pose a threat in their jurisdictions.

In his press release, Gascón said there is precedent for using the power of his office to pressure credit card companies.

“In 2015, the credit card companies banded together to cease allowing their networks to be used for processing payments on backpage.com, which was accused of facilitating sex trafficking.” he noted.

 

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