Democratic New York Attorney Letitia James filed a motion for preliminary injunction against 10 national gun distributors Thursday in an effort to prevent them from selling and shipping allegedly illegal “ghost gun” parts.
James claims that the distributors unlawfully sold “tens of thousands” of unfinished frames and receivers to New York residents and violated several laws by selling weapons without background checks, according to a press release from James’ office. The motion for preliminary injunction seeks to block all further sales and follows a June 2022 lawsuit filed by James’ office against the distributors.
“Companies that sell ghost gun parts and kits present a clear danger to all New Yorkers,” James said in the release. “These deadly weapons are unregistered, untraceable, and do not require any background check to purchase, which means they can easily end up in dangerous hands. Once again, we are taking action to stop the flow of ghost guns into New York and to protect our communities from gun violence. (RELATED: ‘Blatantly Unconstitutional’: Another Lawsuit Filed Against Oregon Officials For Restrictive Gun Measure)
“Ghost guns” are guns that are either partially or completely constructed by an individual using parts that are unserialized, In 2021, ghost guns became illegal in New York after legislators passed the Scott J. Beigel Unfinished Receiver Act and the Jose Webster Untraceable Firearms Act, banning the unserialized parts required to make them.
The original lawsuit alleges that Arm or Ally, LLC, Brownells Inc., Salvo Technologies, Inc., Indie Guns, LLC, Rainier Arms, LLC and Rock Slide USA, LLC shipped one or more unfinished frames or receivers to undercover investigators between May and June of 2022, according to the release. Several defendants advertised “ghost gun” components, and shipped products to individuals that later committed crimes, James’ office claimed.
We took action to immediately block 10 national gun distributors from selling and shipping ghost gun parts to New York.
We sued these companies for breaking the law and endangering New Yorkers, but we need immediate action to protect people from this ongoing threat.
— NY AG James (@NewYorkStateAG) January 12, 2023
The preliminary injunction claims that the distributors work around “federal gun serialization, recordkeeping, and background check requirements,” according to the release.
The case is currently pending in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, according to the release. The litigation is led by Special Counsel James Thompson and Special Counsel Monica Hanna.
In December, City of Rochester Mayor Malik Evans and City of Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown announced lawsuits against major gun manufacturers and distributors.
“Addressing gun violence is a top priority of my administration, and I want to tackle this issue on every front,” Evans said in a release. “Violence prevention requires a multitude of strategies and a significant amount of collaboration. This is just the latest tactic I will dedicate to eradicating gun violence in Rochester.”
Arm or Ally, LLC, Brownells Inc., Salvo Technologies, Inc., Indie Guns, LLC, Rainier Arms, LLC and Rock Slide USA, LLC did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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