Washington, D.C., Maryland Sue Multiple Gun Shops for Weapons Trafficking

The attorneys general of Washington, D.C., and Maryland have jointly filed a lawsuit against three Maryland-based gun shops, alleging that they knowingly sold firearms to individuals they should have recognized as "straw purchasers." Straw purchasing involves buying a firearm on behalf of another person who is prohibited by law from acquiring one. This lawsuit seeks to address what the attorneys general describe as negligent sales practices that have contributed to illegal gun trafficking and crime in the Washington, D.C. area.

The lawsuit targets three Montgomery County gun dealers: Engage Armament, United Gun Shop, and Atlantic Guns. According to the complaint, these shops sold 34 firearms over a six-month period in 2021 to Demetrius Minor, a Maryland resident who later pleaded guilty to dealing firearms without a license. Minor allegedly transferred these weapons to a convicted felon and others who were not legally permitted to own them. Additionally, the lawsuit claims that a minimum of nine of these guns have since been recovered at crime scenes in Washington, D.C., while many others remain unaccounted for.

Officials argue that the gun dealers failed to heed obvious signs that Minor's purchases were illegal. For example, Minor made repeated, large-scale purchases of similar firearms, a pattern commonly associated with straw purchasing. Despite these red flags, the stores continued to sell him more guns. According to the lawsuit, “There was no plausible lawful explanation for Mr. Minor’s excessive handgun purchases over such a short period.” The dealers’ willingness to overlook such signs, the lawsuit contends, makes them complicit in facilitating illegal gun trafficking and endangering public safety.

The lawsuit is significant as the first of its kind to be filed jointly by attorneys general from two jurisdictions, reflecting a coordinated legal strategy to curb gun violence in the Washington, D.C. area.

Gun trafficking cases like this hinge on the doctrine of "negligent entrustment," a legal concept that allows a party to be held liable for negligently providing another with a dangerous instrumentality, such as a firearm. In this case, the gun shops are alleged to have negligently entrusted firearms to Minor, ignoring clear signs that he was purchasing them for resale to those barred by law from owning guns.

By filing this lawsuit, Washington, D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb and Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown aim to impose accountability on gun dealers who fail to implement responsible sales practices. Brown highlighted that the three gun shops involved in this lawsuit were identified as the top retailers of crime guns in Maryland over a one-year period, from August 2020 to July 2021 and stressed the importance of targeting the "source" of the illegal weapons.

During a recent press conference, he criticized gun dealers who prioritize profits over public safety, arguing that such actions directly contribute to the gun violence crisis.