Baltimore has reached a $2 million settlement with a gun store in Anne Arundel County that developed, marketed and sold kits used to build firearms without serial numbers, resolving a lawsuit that alleged it helped fuel a flood of untraceable weapons into the city.
A jury last year awarded $62 million to the city, in what was described as the largest verdict against a gun dealer in American history. Hanover Armory appealed the case.
In addition to paying $2 million, Hanover Armory will notify the city every time someone who’s disqualified tries to buy a gun at the store. The business agreed not to sell certain products, alert the city to attempted straw purchases and provide comprehensive yearly sales reports.
“We are immensely proud of the historic trial verdict we achieved in this case,” City Solicitor Ebony Thompson said in a statement. “This settlement both mitigates the risks of an appeal and leverages that verdict into an agreement that will make Baltimore safer.”
In a statement, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said the case sends a message that “we will not tolerate irresponsible gun dealers putting illegal weapons on our streets and enabling cycles of violence in our communities.”
“A small number of gun dealers sell the majority of guns used in violent crimes, and our work to stem the flow of illegal guns into our city is focused on these reckless dealers,” Scott said. “This settlement delivers accountability and oversight, ensuring that any business Hanover Armory does must be within the bounds of the law.”
Lawyers for the city argued at trial that Hanover Armory sold more ghost gun products than the manufacturer and several other firearms dealers in the state combined.
They contended that the store did not conduct background checks for these items, which appealed to teens, domestic abusers and gun traffickers.
The city reached a settlement before trial for $1.2 million with Polymer80, one of the largest manufacturers of ghost gun parts and kits in the United States, which has since gone out of business.
Hanover Armory’s attorneys, Tim Rudd, Scott Braum and Shawn Whittaker, could not immediately be reached for comment.






Comments
Welcome to The Banner's subscriber-only commenting community. Please review our community guidelines.