Mayor Adams Announces Federal Lawsuit Against Retailers Illegally Selling Ghost Gun Components
Channel: NYC Mayor's Office
Date: 29/06/2022

AFTER UNDERCOVER INVESTIGATION, MAYOR ADAMS AND CORPORATION COUNSEL HINDS-RADIX ANNOUNCE FEDERAL LAWSUIT AGAINST ONLINE RETAILERS ILLEGALLY SELLING DEADLY GHOST GUN COMPONENTS INTO NEW YORK CITY

Investigation by New York City Sheriff’s Office Identifies Five Defendant Ghost Gun Retailers Illegally Selling Into New Yok City

City’s Suit Seeks Immediate Halt to Sales and Deliveries Into New York City of Gun Components Used to Assemble Untraceable, Fully-Functional Guns
New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Corporation Counsel Sylvia Hinds-Radix today announced a lawsuit against five online retailers that have and continue to illegally sell and deliver gun components that are used to assemble illegal and untraceable firearms — known as ghost guns — into the city. As detailed in the lawsuit, five retailers based in Missouri, Washington, Florida, and North Carolina advertised and sold through their websites unfinished frames, receivers, and ghost gun kits to an investigator from the New York City Sheriff’s Office. The gun components were shipped directly to an address in New York City, in violation of New York state and New York City laws making such sales illegal. These gun components are easily assembled into illegal, untraceable, deadly weapons.

New York City’s complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York against defendants:

• Arm or Ally, based in Kansas City, Missouri; 
• Rainier Arms, based in North Auburn, Washington; 
• 80P Builder, based in Largo, Florida; 
• Rock Slide USA, based in Broadway, North Carolina; and 
• Indie Guns, based in Orlando, Florida.  

New York City’s lawsuit was filed simultaneously to a separate lawsuit filed by New York State Attorney General Letitia James against 10 defendants in New York State Supreme Court for fueling the gun violence crisis and endangering New Yorkers. Attorney General James’ comprehensive lawsuit alleges that 10 out-of-state gun distributors sold tens of thousands of illegal, unfinished frames and receivers to New Yorkers that were then converted into unserialized, untraceable handguns and assault-style weapons.

According to New York City’s complaint, the five ghost gun retailers delivered gun components and gun kits to a Sheriff’s Office undercover investigator at a Manhattan address, when such sales were already illegal under city and state law. Orders included so-called “unfinished” frames or receivers, also referred to as “80 percent” frames or receivers, which do not have serial numbers. The frames are offered for sale in kits, which allow a person — using commonly available tools — to assemble receivers and frames into fully-functioning, untraceable handguns. The Sheriff’s Office easily assembled a fully-functioning gun from the components and kits. Similar components are available to assemble semi-automatic assault weapons.  

Ghost guns sold into New York City have ended up in the hands of convicted felons and other prohibited and unlicensed possessors, as well as underage purchasers.

According to the city’s lawsuit, in addition to sending illegal gun parts to a city investigator, Arm or Ally shipped at least 511 packages, which are believed to include packages with illegal frames and receivers, to buyers in New York state between January 3, 2021 and June 7, 2022, including at least 36 packages to addresses in New York City. Arm or Ally appears to have shipped five of those packages, over the course of 45 days, to a city resident later arrested in possession of 14 ghost guns, including seven handguns and seven AR-style rifles. In addition, between July 2020 and October 2021, Arm or Ally appears to have sold nine ghost gun components, including frames or receivers and completion parts kits, to a city resident later indicted in Manhattan on at least 29 counts of violating the city’s prohibition on possession of unfinished frames or receivers. 

Incidents involving ghost guns reflect a dangerously escalating trend. The NYPD recovered 17 ghost guns in 2018, 48 in 2019, 150 in 2020, 263 in 2021, and has already recovered 180 this year as of June 26th — a 181 percent increase over the same time period last year, and on pace to exceed last year’s total.

New York City is also asking the court to issue a preliminary injunction, ordering the defendants to immediately stop selling ghost guns into New York City. It has been illegal to sell ghost guns into New York City since February 2020, and the Sheriff Office’s undercover investigation revealed that these particular defendants have and continue to ignore the city’s restrictions. 

This legal action was led by the Affirmative Litigation Division in the New York City Law Department, with the invaluable assistance of the NYPD, the Sheriff’s Office, the Mayor’s Office, New York City’s five district attorneys, and the Office of the New York Attorney General.  

###

Borough of Manhattan Community College Gymnasium
Lower Manhattan

June 29, 2022