NEW YORK, N.Y. (WKBW) — New York Attorney General Letitia James has filed a lawsuit against gun accessory manufacturer MEAN LLC (Mean Arms). The lawsuit accuses the Georgia-based company of helping to make guns more dangerous, including the one used in the mass shooting at the Tops Friendly Markets in Buffalo on May 14, 2022.
James' office states that Mean Arms makes, sells and distributes a magazine lock known as the MA Lock. It's marketed as a device used to lock a magazine onto a semiautomatic rifle. However, James said the lock can easily be removed for a high-capacity magazine to be attached.
Instructions on the back of the packaging show how to remove the lock.
The lawsuit states that the gunman who shot and killed 10 black people and wounded three others on May 14, 2022, purchased an AR-15 in January of 2022.
James' office said that the gun had an MA Lock installed, but the shooter wrote in his manifesto that he was able to easily remove it within a few minutes and transform it into a weapon with 30 rounds of ammunition. James said the shooter followed directions to remove the lock, using a drill in his family's home.
New York State bans the possession of assault weapons and high-capacity magazines that hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition.
“We lost 10 innocent lives because a hate-fueled individual was able to make an AR-15 even deadlier through a simple change at home," said Attorney General James. "Mean Arms sells the MA Lock device knowing that it can be easily removed to make guns more dangerous, and even gives directions on how to take this action. We cannot undo the devastating harm that was done, but this lawsuit against Mean Arms is part of our ongoing effort to pursue justice for the ten innocent lives that were unjustly taken.”
James said the use of these magazines allows a shooter to fire more rounds without pausing to reload.
The lawsuit was filed in New York State Supreme Court. Attorney General James seeks to require Mean Arms to pay restitution and damages for its illegal practices that violated the statute and caused compensable injuries; stop selling, shipping, or distributing the MA Lock to any person within New York state; pay civil penalties; and disgorge all revenues wrongfully obtained. Attorney General James also seeks to require the company to issue corrective statements regarding their false and misleading public statements on the MA Lock.
7 News called Mean Arms, and is still waiting to hear from the head of the company. The company's vice president of sales said this was the first he heard of the lawsuit.
