Maryland and Washington Attornies General Sue Gun Stores Over Alleged Straw Purchases

Attornies General for Maryland and Washington filed a lawsuit on Tuesday against three Rockville, Maryland-based gun stores for allegedly trafficking guns into the U.S. Capital through straw purchases.

According to a filing in the Circuit Court for Montgomery County, Maryland, Attorney General Anthony G. Brown and District of Columbia Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb are accusing Engage Armament LLC, Atlantic Guns, and United Gun Shop of participating in straw purchases by selling 34 semiautomatic pistols over a 7-month period to Demetrius Minor, in violation of state and federal laws.

A straw purchase occurs when a person buys a gun for someone who cannot legally buy or possess firearms.

Everytown Law, affiliated with Everytown for Gun Safety, is assisting with the lawsuit.

A spokesperson with Brown’s office would not say if any of the gun dealers would face criminal charges.

“Our office has many different strategies for keeping firearms out of the hands of dangerous people. Civil actions such as this one allow the Office of Attorney General to seek justice in a different way from criminal prosecutions. The remedies we seek here—including compelling these gun dealers to stop engaging in illegal straw sales and pay monetary damages, including punitive damages, for the harm they caused—will help put a stop to this going forward,” Jennifer Donelan, a spokesperson for Brown’s office wrote in an email to The Epoch Times.

According to the lawsuit, the gun sellers should have noticed that Minor was making repetitive purchases of the same types of guns.

“The defendants violated the law by facilitating illegal gun sales and willingly conspiring with, and aiding and abetting, Minor’s illegal conduct,” the press release from Brown’s office states.

Eric Tirschwell, Executive Director of Everytown Law, said in the press release that the lawsuit was a warning to other gun dealers.

“This lawsuit puts any other bad-faith dealers who prioritize profits over the law and public safety on notice: traffickers and straw purchasers will be held accountable, but so too will the gun stores that ignore suspicious purchasing behaviors and facilitate the flow of illegal weapons into our cities and local communities,” he wrote.

Lawsuit a ‘Political Witch Hunt’

Representatives of the gun stores deny the allegations, saying they complied with all applicable laws, including the requirement to report transactions to the Maryland State Police.

Andrew Raymond, owner of Engage Armament, called the lawsuit a “political witch hunt” and denied breaking any laws.

“We comply with all state and federal regulations,” he told The Epoch Times.

Lawrence Keane, a senior vice president and general counsel for the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the firearms industry trade group, said there is a difference between making a straw purchase and making an illegal sale.

He said that as part of the purchasing process, a buyer is required to confirm in writing that they are not buying the gun for someone else. Keane said that the gun dealers would only have broken the law if they knew the buyer was a straw purchaser.

“It’s an illegal purchase, but it’s not an illegal sale unless [the seller] knows it’s a straw purchase. People do not walk in with signs that say ‘I’m here to do a straw purchase,’” Keane told The Epoch Times.