The manufacturer of a gun accessory connected to a racist mass shooting that killed ten Black individuals at a Buffalo supermarket has agreed to pay $1.75 million to survivors and victims' families. Additionally, the company will halt all sales of the device within New York State, as announced by state Attorney General Letitia James on Wednesday.
Legal Settlement and Broader Agreements
This agreement with Georgia-based Mean Arms resolves a lawsuit initiated by Attorney General James and addresses claims from numerous families and survivors of the 2022 attack at Tops Friendly Market. In a related development, the plaintiffs' lawyers revealed that separate settlements were reached the previous day with the family of gunman Payton Gendron and the gun seller Vintage Firearms LLC.
Focus on the Gun Accessory
The legal action against Mean Arms centred on a device designed to lock a magazine onto a rifle. Intended to prevent the installation of high-capacity magazines, which are illegal in New York, the lock was allegedly easily removed by Gendron from an AR-15-style rifle. Attorney General James stated that the company provided explicit, step-by-step instructions on its product packaging detailing how to remove the lock.
"We hope that by holding this manufacturer accountable and banning it from selling this device in New York state, we can offer the people of Buffalo some measure of comfort," James, a Democrat, declared during a news conference held in Buffalo.
Victims' Families Respond
Several relatives of the victims attended the announcement with James, expressing that the settlement represents a significant step forward. "No one should be able to come into a store and, in two minutes, inflict so much damage to a community, to a family, to children," said Pamela Pritchett, whose mother, 77-year-old Pearl Young, was killed in the attack. Young was a Sunday school teacher who operated a food pantry.
Additional Legal Resolutions
Everytown Law, which assisted in representing some survivors and families, issued a statement confirming that Vintage Firearms has permanently closed. The owner has also agreed to refrain from obtaining a federal firearms license in the future. Eric Tirschwell of Everytown Law noted that the settlements with Gendron's parents remain confidential.
Attorneys representing the gunman's parents and Vintage Firearms declined to comment on the settlements. Authorities have stated that Gendron, who is white, deliberately targeted the Tops supermarket, located in a predominantly Black neighbourhood, for the racially motivated assault.
Details of the Attack and Ongoing Proceedings
The victims, ranging in age from 32 to 86, included a security guard, a man shopping for a birthday cake, a grandmother of nine, and the mother of a former Buffalo fire commissioner. Gendron is currently serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole after pleading guilty to multiple state murder charges in November 2022.
A federal trial on hate crime and weapons charges is anticipated to commence later this year. Gendron has entered a not guilty plea to these federal counts. The U.S. Department of Justice has indicated it will seek the death penalty in this case.
Requests for comment left with Mean Arms and its legal representative were not immediately returned.
