Mill Valley ‘Ghost’ Gun Dealer Gets 3 Years: DOJ

MARIN COUNTY, CA — A Mill Valley man who last year pleaded guilty to manufacturing and selling unserialized “ghost” guns on Monday was sentenced to more than three years in federal prison, the Department of Justice said in a news release.

James William Palmer, 38 of Mill Valley, was sentenced to 37 months in federal prison and three years of supervision after his release from prison., the DOJ said.

He faced a maximum sentence of five years and a $250,000 fine, the DOJ said in a news release in August, around the time Palmer pleaded guilty to one count of unlicensed firearms manufacturing and dealing.

Palmer was ordered to surrender to authorities to begin serving his sentence Feb. 6 .

Palmer had admitted he manufactured firearms at his Mill Valley home, where he maintained an area in his garage for his firearms, the DOJ said. He also admitted to selling marijuana during that period.

Palmer communicated with buyers and sellers of firearms via text messages in which he discussed the prices for firearms, the meeting places for transactions, and the amounts owed, the DOJ said.

In one text, Palmer said, “What about getting that 17 so I can resume business? I got 6 people waiting.”

In another, Palmer wrote that he had been dealing in firearms in Marin County “for 20 years off and on.”

His plea agreement described his use of a white board to write down customer names and numbers and the amounts owed or paid by the customers.

As an example of one of his firearms sales, Palmer described a sale in October 2020 of a Glock 17 semi-automatic pistol to a customer for $780.

Palmer on his day of arrest (Jan. 27, 2021) was driving his car and had ammunition in his pants pocket, a loaded Glock Model 26 .45 ACP caliber semi-automatic pistol in the car, and two loaded .45 caliber magazines in the center console, the DOJ said.

He admitted to paying a higher price for a Glock pistol at a gun show ($900) to avoid paperwork and get the handgun immediately, the DOJ said.

He also admitted that on the day of his arrest he had multiple firearm receivers in various stages of handgun construction, privately made firearm (PMF, or “ghost gun”) jigs, and firearms parts and assorted ammunition, along with the tools necessary to manufacture firearms.

Palmer also had in his garage a Glock pistol frame with its serial number plate removed as well as magazines of standard and high capacity for multiple firearm calibers, the DOJ said. Palmer admitted he also had a loaded P80 .45 caliber Glock-style semi-automatic handgun in the garage.