LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón is trying an alternative approach to getting 'ghost guns' off the street by calling on Visa, MasterCard and American Express to stop processing payments for unfinished firearm kits sold online.

Police said untraceable guns sold in parts and then assembled by the purchaser are contributing to the recent surge in gun violence.

Police seized 1,921 ghost guns in 2021, up from 813 in 2020, according to data from the Los Angeles Police Department, which estimates ghost guns now account for 33% of firearms used in crimes.

Ghost gun kits cost between $350 to $500 and can be assembled into a working firearm, but lack a serial number that would allow law enforcement to trace the weapon back to the purchaser.

Chief Michel Moore and San Gabriel Police Chief Gene Harris also signed the letters urging the companies to “show responsible corporate citizenship” by no longer processing online payments for firearm kits.

The Los Angeles City Council made it illegal to possess, buy, sell, receive or transport non-serialized firearms in November, but Gascón said credit card companies could more effectively undermine the business model.

“It’s very hard for municipalities or counties or even the state to regulate this in a meaningful way. It is important that they do. I think there’s both a legal impact and the messaging that we’re all united in saying 'this has to stop,' but I think if you hit the economic model we will have a much greater impact,” Gascón said.

Spectrum News reached out to Visa, MasterCard and American Express, but did not receive a response.

The teenage gunman, who opened fire at Saugus High School in 2019, killing two students and injuring three others before killing himself, used a ghost gun. The gunman’s father was legally prohibited from possessing a weapon.

“But they were still able to get one because of these ghost guns,” said survivor Mia Tretta, who was shot in the abdomen. “No background checks are required. No anything. You just need a credit card.”

In 2015, credit card companies stopped processing payments for Backpage.com, at the urging of law enforcement officials who said the website was facilitating human trafficking. 

Gascón has faced criticism for blocking longer prison sentences for people who commit crimes with a gun by refusing to allow prosecutors to seek sentencing enhancements.

He told Spectrum News his office is reviewing the policy to see if gun enhancements should be applied in some cases.

“I think it’s important to recognize what enhancements do and what they do not do,” Gascón said. “There’s plenty of evidence that, generally speaking, whether you go to prison for eight years or fifteen years, it has no deterrence effect.”

The District Attorney’s Office estimates 90% of ghost guns linked to crimes were purchased with a credit card.