Mean Arms to Compensate Buffalo Shooting Victims’ Families with $1.75 Million Settlement

A Georgia-based gun accessory company, Mean LLC, commonly known as Mean Arms, has agreed to pay $1.75 million in restitution to the families of victims, injured individuals, and traumatized survivors of the tragic 2022 mass shooting at a Buffalo supermarket. This settlement, announced on Wednesday, also mandates that the company permanently cease the sale of a controversial magazine lock in New York.

The agreement comes in response to a lawsuit filed by New York Attorney General Letitia James, alongside related civil claims from victims’ families. “The racist mass shooting at Tops in Buffalo was an unbearable tragedy,” James stated. “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.” She emphasized that this settlement represents accountability, ensuring that the device in question will never be sold in New York again.

VIRGINIA TEACHER SHOT BY 6-YEAR-OLD STUDENT ‘THOUGHT SHE WAS DEAD’ AS BODYCAM EMERGES

New York Attorney General Letitia James, Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes, and Mayor Byron Brown attend a ceremony at Tops Friendly Market on Jefferson Avenue in Buffalo, New York, July 14, 2022. (John Normile/Getty / Getty Images)

The May 14, 2022, attack was perpetrated by Payton Gendron, who killed 10 Black individuals and injured three others at the Tops Friendly Market in western New York. Federal prosecutors revealed that the then-18-year-old livestreamed the attack, which was described as a racially motivated hate crime, meticulously planned and premeditated.

In 2023, Gendron was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Sunlight from the setting sun illuminates the Tops Friendly Market on Jefferson Avenue in Buffalo, New York, May 16, 2022. (Matt Burkhartt for The Washington Post via Getty Images / Getty Images)

James’ office alleged that Mean Arms marketed its “MA Lock” device as compliant with New York law, despite its easy removal, which allowed the shooter to convert his weapon to accept high-capacity magazines. “In January 2022, the Buffalo shooter purchased a semiautomatic rifle in New York with an MA Lock installed and a 10-round magazine. After following Mean Arms’ removal instructions, on May 14, 2022, the shooter inserted multiple 30-round detachable magazines onto his weapon,” her office stated. “With a pistol grip and the high-capacity magazines, he did not have to stop to reload his weapon, and when he did reload, he could do so quickly.”

As part of the settlement, Mean Arms must halt all sales of the MA Lock in New York, remove any claims suggesting the MA Lock is legal in the state, and clearly state on all packaging that the MA Lock cannot be sold or resold in New York. Additionally, the company is required to notify all businesses currently selling the MA Lock that the product is not to be sold or resold to individuals or businesses in New York.

BUFFALO BILLS, NFL FOUNDATIONS DONATING $400,000 TO RELIEF EFFORTS AFTER TOPS SUPERMARKET SHOOTING

Police and FBI agents continue their investigation at Tops market in Buffalo, New York, May 15, 2022. (Scott Olson/Getty / Getty Images)

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In a press release from James’ office, attorney Andrew Debbins, representing several victims’ families, remarked: “No amount of money can compensate the victims of May 14 for the unspeakable horrors of that day, but this settlement is a victory in our continuing fight against hate and all who enable it.”

A Georgia-based gun accessory company, Mean LLC, commonly known as Mean Arms, has agreed to pay $1.75 million in restitution to the families of victims, injured individuals, and traumatized survivors of the tragic 2022 mass shooting at a Buffalo supermarket. This settlement, announced on Wednesday, also mandates that the company permanently cease the sale of a controversial magazine lock in New York.

The agreement comes in response to a lawsuit filed by New York Attorney General Letitia James, alongside related civil claims from victims’ families. “The racist mass shooting at Tops in Buffalo was an unbearable tragedy,” James stated. “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.” She emphasized that this settlement represents accountability, ensuring that the device in question will never be sold in New York again.

VIRGINIA TEACHER SHOT BY 6-YEAR-OLD STUDENT ‘THOUGHT SHE WAS DEAD’ AS BODYCAM EMERGES

New York Attorney General Letitia James, Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes, and Mayor Byron Brown attend a ceremony at Tops Friendly Market on Jefferson Avenue in Buffalo, New York, July 14, 2022. (John Normile/Getty / Getty Images)

The May 14, 2022, attack was perpetrated by Payton Gendron, who killed 10 Black individuals and injured three others at the Tops Friendly Market in western New York. Federal prosecutors revealed that the then-18-year-old livestreamed the attack, which was described as a racially motivated hate crime, meticulously planned and premeditated.

In 2023, Gendron was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Sunlight from the setting sun illuminates the Tops Friendly Market on Jefferson Avenue in Buffalo, New York, May 16, 2022. (Matt Burkhartt for The Washington Post via Getty Images / Getty Images)

James’ office alleged that Mean Arms marketed its “MA Lock” device as compliant with New York law, despite its easy removal, which allowed the shooter to convert his weapon to accept high-capacity magazines. “In January 2022, the Buffalo shooter purchased a semiautomatic rifle in New York with an MA Lock installed and a 10-round magazine. After following Mean Arms’ removal instructions, on May 14, 2022, the shooter inserted multiple 30-round detachable magazines onto his weapon,” her office stated. “With a pistol grip and the high-capacity magazines, he did not have to stop to reload his weapon, and when he did reload, he could do so quickly.”

As part of the settlement, Mean Arms must halt all sales of the MA Lock in New York, remove any claims suggesting the MA Lock is legal in the state, and clearly state on all packaging that the MA Lock cannot be sold or resold in New York. Additionally, the company is required to notify all businesses currently selling the MA Lock that the product is not to be sold or resold to individuals or businesses in New York.

BUFFALO BILLS, NFL FOUNDATIONS DONATING $400,000 TO RELIEF EFFORTS AFTER TOPS SUPERMARKET SHOOTING

Police and FBI agents continue their investigation at Tops market in Buffalo, New York, May 15, 2022. (Scott Olson/Getty / Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

In a press release from James’ office, attorney Andrew Debbins, representing several victims’ families, remarked: “No amount of money can compensate the victims of May 14 for the unspeakable horrors of that day, but this settlement is a victory in our continuing fight against hate and all who enable it.”