WASHINGTON — Three gun shops that sold nearly three dozen firearms to a man who trafficked the weapons in and around Washington, D.C., are facing a new lawsuit jointly filed Tuesday by attorneys general for Maryland and the nation’s capital.
At least nine of those guns have now been found at crime scene and or with people wanted on warrants for violent offenses, D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb said. Many of the others are still unaccounted for.
“Our city is being flooded with illegal weapons,” he said. “All three of these stores ignored the red flags.”
Washington, D.C., has struggled with gun violence in recent years. The nation’s capital saw its highest number of homicides in more than three decades last year, and more than 90% of those were carried out with firearms, the suit states.
“Many of us watch the news and we wonder where all these guns are coming from,” said Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown. “Now we have part of the answer.”
In Washington, the supply of weapons is often fueled by people who buy guns for others who can’t legally possess them, Schwalb said. About 95% of guns recovered in Washington, D.C., which has strict gun laws, originally come from nearby Maryland or Virginia, Schwalb said. While some of those are stolen weapons, more come from illegal straw sales, according to data about firearm trafficking investigations from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
The suit seeks unspecified damages and court action to halt any future straw purchases.
The lawsuit is the first to be filed jointly and comes as cities and states around the country file civil suits against gun shops, including in New Jersey, Minnesota, Chicago and Philadelphia. Kansas City also settled a suit last year against a gun dealer accused of ignoring evidence that guns were being sold illegally.
Licensed firearm dealers do work with ATF to identify possible straw purchases, said Larry Keane, senior vice president at the National Shooting Sports Foundation, an industry group. Still, he said that warning signs may not always be obvious at busy stores, where a buyer might encounter different employees on different days.
“The focus should be on the actions of the criminal, not trying to scapegoat retailers who do their best every day to try to prevent straw purchasing,” he said, pointing to a 2016 Justice Department survey of people in prison that found a relatively small number had gotten firearms from a retail source.
The new suit, filed with the gun safety group Everytown Law, accuses the Maryland-based stores of failing to respond to warning signs, including bulk purchasing and repetitive purchases.
Two stores, Engage Armament LLC and Atlantic Guns, Inc., did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment, and the third, United Gun Shop, declined to comment.
The three stores sold a total of nearly three dozen similar weapons to Demetrius Minor over a seven-month period in 2021, the suit said. Nearly all were trafficked to others, including people who aren’t legally allowed to buy firearms, the suit alleges. One gun, for example, was found in a D.C. hotel room along with an illegal large-capacity magazine and another was found at the home of a stabbing suspect, the suit says.
Minor pleaded guilty to one count of dealing in firearms without a license last year in a plea deal with prosecutors and was sentenced to 18 months in prison. An attorney who represented Minor could not immediately be reached for comment.
A recent lawsuit has been filed against multiple gun shops for allegedly trafficking weapons into Washington, DC and Maryland. The lawsuit, which was filed by a coalition of gun control advocates and local officials, accuses the gun shops of knowingly selling firearms to individuals who are prohibited from owning them in these jurisdictions.
According to the lawsuit, the gun shops in question have been selling firearms to straw purchasers, who then transport the weapons into Washington, DC and Maryland where they are sold on the black market. This practice not only circumvents the strict gun laws in these areas, but also contributes to the rising rates of gun violence and crime.
The plaintiffs in the lawsuit argue that the gun shops are violating federal laws that prohibit the sale of firearms to individuals who are prohibited from owning them, such as convicted felons, domestic abusers, and individuals with mental health issues. They also claim that the gun shops are negligent in their duty to conduct proper background checks and ensure that their customers are legally allowed to purchase firearms.
The lawsuit seeks to hold the gun shops accountable for their actions and to prevent further trafficking of illegal weapons into Washington, DC and Maryland. The plaintiffs are also calling for stricter regulations and oversight of gun shops to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.
Gun trafficking is a serious issue that poses a significant threat to public safety. By holding gun shops accountable for their role in facilitating the illegal sale of firearms, we can work towards reducing gun violence and keeping our communities safe. It is crucial that we address this issue head-on and take action to prevent the flow of illegal weapons into our neighborhoods.
