“Many of us watch the news and we wonder where all of these guns are coming from,” Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown said. “Now we have part of the answer.”
The attorneys general of Maryland and Washington, D.C., have joined a lawsuit filed against a group of firearms retailers accused of selling dozens of weapons to a man accused of trafficking guns into the nation’s capital.
According to The Associated Press, at least nine of those firearms have since been found at crime scenes or taken off people with warrants for violent offenses. Dozens of other guns remain missing or otherwise unaccounted for.
“Our city is being flooded with illegal weapons,” D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb said in a statement. “All three of these stores ignored the red flags.”
Although Washington, D.C., has fairly stringent gun-control laws that require firearm owners to obtain permits for most rifles and handguns, the city has nonetheless struggled with violent crime. Last year, for instance, the district reported its highest number of homicides in nearly 30 years.
“Many of us watch the news and we wonder where all of these guns are coming from,” Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown said. “Now we have part of the answer.”
Schwalb said that many illegal firearms found in Washington, D.C., come from the neighboring states of Maryland and Virginia. Some are stolen, but more were obtained through straw purchases and other forms of misrepresentation.
The defendants named in the lawsuit include Engage Armament, United Gun Shop, and Atlantic Guns. The three stores allegedly sold Demetrius Minor, characterized as an “obvious straw purchaser,” about 34 guns between April 6 and October 5, 2021.
Minor, notes USA Today, spent more than $31,000 at Engage Armament alone. Many of the firearms were then transferred to Donald Willis, a D.C. resident who has been convicted of numerous violent felonies.
“Federally licensed gun dealers know the law and they know what to look for to spot possible illegal trafficking. As this lawsuit demonstrates, gun dealers cannot just choose to ignore these warning signs and guardrails,” Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown said in a statement. “Let this be a warning to other dealers who put public safety at risk to make a profit: We are watching, and we will hold you accountable for illegal conduct that fuels gun violence across our region.”
Firearm advocates have since said that the lawsuit is misplaced, and that the attorneys general should prioritize convicting criminals rather than pursuing licensed retailers.
Larry Keane, the senor vice president of the National Shooting Sports Foundation, told The Associated Press that licensed firearm dealers actively work with the A.T.F. to identify potential straw purchases.
But at large stores, Keane said, it isn’t always easy to identify potential straw purchasers—who may come into the same business day after day, but meet and speak to different employees.
“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,” Keane said.
Sources
Gun shops that sold weapons trafficked into Washington, DC, sued by nation’s capital and Maryland
Guns flood the nation’s capital. Maryland, D.C. attorneys general point at top sellers.
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