Maryland, D.C. attorneys general sue Maryland gun stores for selling to straw purchaser

Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown at a Sept. 3 news conference Sept. 3 in Washington, D.C., to announce a joint civil suit with District of Columbia Attorney General Brian Schwalb against three Maryland gun stores. Photo by William J. Ford.

The attorneys general of Maryland and Washington, D.C., filed suit Tuesday against three Rockville gun shops that authorities said sold 34 guns to a straw buyer who then trafficked the weapons in the District.

The suit , filed in Montgomery County Circuit Court, claims that Engage Armament LLC, United Gun Shop and Atlantic Guns Inc. knowingly sold multiple guns to Demetrius Minor, “an obvious straw purchaser” who transferred the weapons to Donald Willis, a relative with “a record of violent felonies,” according to the complaint.

The sales, sometimes several in the same day, took place between April 6, 2021, and Oct. 5, 2021.

The suit says prosecutors believe the 34 guns sold to Minor were likely “only a fraction of the guns” sold illegally by the three stores. Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown said the three gun stores targeted by the suit were determined to be the top three retailers of guns later recovered in Maryland.

“Clearly, these stores played a role in supplying firearms used in crimes across our region,” Brown said. “These stores contributed to illegal gun trafficking. As a result, guns ended up in the hands of people who aren’t allowed to have them.”

A phone message left with Engage Armament on Tuesday afternoon was not immediately returned. Matthew Johnston, the attorney for United Gun Shop, said in an email Tuesday evening that he had “not officially received or been served with the lawsuit. Until we receive the lawsuit and review the allegations in the complaint, my client has no comment.”

A man who identified himself as a manager with Atlantic Guns Inc. defended the store.

“We have never and will never knowingly sell to someone who we have reason to believe is committing a straw purchase. Until we’ve received the complaint, we are not able to comment further,” said the employee, who only gave the name Mark, before hanging up the phone.

Prosecutors said at a news conference Tuesday outside the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia that Minor and Willis were indicted in the District in December 2022 on gun trafficking charges. Willis was also convicted and sentenced in November 2022 to 12 years in prison for assaulting family members during a party at his ex-wife’s house in the District about one year earlier. At least one handgun Willis had in his possession came from United Gun Shop, according to Tuesday’s suit.

The suit claims the stores have “to date, faced no consequences for their critical role in fueling gun violence in the Washington, D.C. region.”

The complaint states a straw sale happens when a federal firearms dealer, such as the three gun stores, sells a weapon to a person who is buying for a third party rather than for the buyer’s own use.

“By using a straw purchaser, the third party — the ultimate recipient — can obtain firearms from a licensed dealer without presenting identification or undergoing a background check,” according to the complaint.

The suit seeks to force the stores to halt illegal straw purchases, said D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb (D).

Schwalb said only nine of the 34 firearms identified in the lawsuit have been recovered so far. Seven of them were found in D.C. and the other two in neighboring Prince George’s County.

“My office is committed to doing anything we can to address and drive down the unacceptable level gun violence in the District of Columbia,” he said. “I’m proud to join with Attorney General Brown and Everytown to try and address the regional scourge of gun violence. Together, we intend to hold accountable those at the source of the gun violence epidemic.”

Everytown Law, a Washington-based organization that pushes to advance gun safety law in the courts, is serving as a partner in the suit.

Although this type of suit against gun stores isn’t new, Everytown Law Executive Director Eric Tirschwell said he believes Tuesday’s suit represents the first time two jurisdictions have come together to sue gun store owners.

“These cases are important not only because they hold out the possibility of stemming the flow of illegal guns in the particular communities, but also because they can send a broader message to gun stores around the country that they need to follow the law,” Tirschwell said after the news conference. “They need to pay attention to obvious red flags of straw purchasing, and if they don’t, they’re going to be held accountable in court.”

– This story was updated at 10 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 3, to include a response from Matthew Johnston, the attorney for United Gun Shop.