NEW YORK – The gun accessory company Mean Arms will pay $1.75 million and permanently cease sales of its detachable magazine lock in New York State following a lawsuit brought by Attorney General Letitia James. The lock, known as the MA Lock, was used by the white supremacist shooter who murdered 10 people at the Tops Friendly Market in Buffalo, New York on May 14, 2022. James alleges that Mean Arms actively aided the shooter in converting a legally purchased rifle into an illegal assault weapon.
The Attorney General’s Office (OAG) launched its investigation and subsequent lawsuit in May 2023, uncovering that Mean Arms not only sold the MA Lock – designed to appear to comply with New York’s assault weapon ban – but *advertised* its easy removability. The company provided step-by-step instructions, both on product packaging and in online videos, demonstrating how to bypass the lock and install high-capacity, 30-round magazines. This allowed the Buffalo shooter to rapidly fire dozens of rounds during the racially motivated attack, maximizing casualties.
“The racist mass shooting at Tops in Buffalo was an unbearable tragedy,” stated Attorney General James. “We lost 10 beautiful lives in a horrific act of violence and hate, and no amount of money can ever return those individuals to their families or erase the devastation the community was forced to endure. Today, justice looks like accountability, and we have ensured that this device will never be sold in our state again.” The $1.75 million will be distributed as restitution to the victims’ families, those injured in the shooting, and surviving witnesses traumatized by the event.
Mean Arms, a Georgia-based company, manufactured the MA Lock as a shear bolt mechanism intended to lock a detachable magazine in place. However, the OAG’s complaint detailed how the company deceptively marketed the product as a means to comply with New York’s stringent gun laws, knowing full well it could be easily circumvented. The January 2022 purchase of a semiautomatic rifle with an MA Lock by the shooter quickly transformed into an illegal weapon after he followed Mean Arms’ instructions to remove the lock and attach high-capacity magazines.
The settlement mandates that Mean Arms not only halt sales of the MA Lock in New York but also remove any claims of its legality from advertising materials. The company must also clearly state on all packaging that the product is prohibited for sale or resale within New York State, and notify existing vendors of the same. This is the latest in a series of actions by Attorney General James to hold accountable those who facilitate gun violence and circumvent gun safety laws.
The Buffalo shooter, Payton Gendron, is currently serving a life sentence without parole after being convicted on charges including murder and domestic terrorism. While Gendron bears ultimate responsibility for the horrific act, the OAG’s investigation made clear that Mean Arms played a direct role in enabling the shooter to assemble a weapon capable of inflicting maximum harm. This settlement sends a clear message: those who profit from facilitating gun violence will be held accountable.”
Related Federal Cases
- Mean Arms Enabled Buffalo Shooter, Pays $1.75M · Georgia
- Brooklyn Gun Kingpin Khyle Williams Busted for Illegal Arms Sales · Georgia
- Brooklyn Gun Ring Dismantled: Louisdor et al. Indicted for Arms Smuggling · Georgia
- Buffalo Man Convicted of Cocaine Trafficking · Georgia
- Buffalo Bank Fraud Scheme Cracks Under Pressure · Georgia
Key Facts
- State: New York
- Agency: NY AG
- Category: Weapons|Violent Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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