Washington, DC and Maryland Sue Gun Shops Selling Trafficked Weapons

Three gun shops that sold nearly three dozen firearms to a man involved in trafficking these weapons in and around Washington, D.C., are now facing a lawsuit. This legal action was jointly filed on Tuesday by the attorneys general of Maryland and Washington, D.C.

According to D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb, at least nine of the firearms have been found at crime scenes or were in the possession of individuals wanted for violent crimes. Many of the other weapons remain unaccounted for.

Schwalb expressed grave concerns about the situation, stating, “Our city is being flooded with illegal weapons. All three of these stores ignored the red flags.”

The lawsuit argues that the gun shops failed to act on warning signs indicating that the firearms they sold may be misused, including bulk purchases and repeated transactions—practices identified as straw purchasing.

Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown also addressed the issue, saying, “Many of us watch the news and we wonder where all these guns are coming from. Now we have part of the answer.”

This lawsuit marks the first joint legal action against gun retailers and follows similar civil cases filed against gun shops across the country, from New Jersey to Minnesota, Chicago, and Philadelphia. Last year, a suit in Kansas City was settled with a gun dealer accused of turning a blind eye to illegal gun sales.

Washington, D.C., has been grappling with increasing gun violence in recent years. The city recorded its highest homicide rate in over three decades in the past year, with more than 90% of these homicides involving firearms, as noted in the lawsuit.

Schwalb pointed out that straw purchasing is one of the primary reasons for the rise in gun supply. He noted that approximately 95% of the firearms recovered in Washington, D.C., where strict gun laws are in place, originally came from neighboring states like Maryland and Virginia. While some of these weapons are stolen, many are sold illegally through straw purchases, according to data provided by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

The three gun shops named in the lawsuit—Engage Armament LLC, United Gun Shop, and Atlantic Guns, Inc.—are accused of selling nearly three dozen weapons to Demetrius Minor over a span of seven months in 2021. Most of these firearms were allegedly trafficked to individuals who are not legally permitted to buy guns. For instance, one firearm was discovered in a hotel room in D.C., along with a large-capacity magazine, while another was found at the residence of a suspect involved in a stabbing incident.

Minor has already pleaded guilty last year to a charge of dealing in firearms without a license as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors, resulting in an 18-month prison sentence. Attempts to reach an attorney who represented Minor for further comment were unsuccessful.

The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages and aims to implement measures to prevent any future straw purchases. The implicated gun shops, located in Montgomery County, Maryland, have not yet provided any responses to inquiries regarding the lawsuit.