Gun Accessory Firm Settles for $1.75 Million with Buffalo Supermarket Shooting Victims

The manufacturer of a gun accessory linked to a tragic shooting that claimed the lives of 10 Black individuals at a Buffalo supermarket has agreed to pay $1.75 million to the survivors and families of the victims. This settlement also includes a commitment to cease the sale of the device in New York, as announced by state Attorney General Letitia James on Wednesday.

This agreement with Mean Arms, a Georgia-based company, resolves a lawsuit initiated by James and addresses claims from various families affected by the 2022 attack at Tops Friendly Market. Additionally, separate agreements have been reached to settle claims against the gunman Payton Gendron’s family and a gun seller, Vintage Firearms LLC, as revealed by the plaintiffs’ lawyers on the same day.

The lawsuit against Mean Arms centered on a device designed to lock a magazine onto a rifle, intended to prevent the use of high-capacity magazines, which are illegal in New York. However, Attorney General James highlighted that Gendron was able to easily remove the lock from his AR-15-style rifle, allowing him to attach high-capacity magazines. Furthermore, she pointed out that the product packaging included step-by-step instructions for removing the lock.

“We hope that by holding this manufacturer accountable and banning it from selling this device in New York state, we can offer the people of Buffalo some measure of comfort,” James stated during a news conference in the city.

Relatives of some victims joined James at the announcement, expressing that the settlement represents a significant step forward. Pamela Pritchett, whose mother, Pearl Young, was among those killed, emphasized the urgency of preventing such tragedies. “No one should be able to come into a store and, in two minutes, inflict so much damage to a community, to a family, to children,” she said. Young was a 77-year-old Sunday school teacher who also ran a food pantry.

Everytown Law, which assisted in representing some survivors and victims’ families, noted that Vintage Firearms has permanently closed its operations, and its owner has agreed not to seek a federal firearms license in the future. Eric Tirschwell of Everytown Law mentioned that the settlements with Gendron’s parents remain confidential.

Attorneys representing the gunman’s parents and Vintage Firearms declined to comment on the matter.

Authorities have stated that Gendron, who is white, specifically targeted the Tops supermarket located in a predominantly Black neighborhood. The victims of this heinous act ranged in age from 32 to 86 and included a security guard, a man shopping for a birthday cake, a grandmother of nine, and the mother of a former Buffalo fire commissioner.

Currently, Gendron is serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole after pleading guilty in November 2022 to multiple state charges, including murder. A trial concerning federal hate crime and weapons charges is anticipated to commence later this year, with Gendron having pleaded not guilty. The Justice Department has indicated its intention to pursue the death penalty.

Photo: Police walk outside the Tops grocery store May 15, 2022, in Buffalo, N.Y. A white gunman was charged with killing 10 Black people in a racist mass shooting at a Buffalo supermarket in an indictment that could make him eligible for the death penalty if he is found guilty. (AP Photo/Joshua Bessex, File)

Copyright 2026 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

The manufacturer of a gun accessory linked to a tragic shooting that claimed the lives of 10 Black individuals at a Buffalo supermarket has agreed to pay $1.75 million to the survivors and families of the victims. This settlement also includes a commitment to cease the sale of the device in New York, as announced by state Attorney General Letitia James on Wednesday.

This agreement with Mean Arms, a Georgia-based company, resolves a lawsuit initiated by James and addresses claims from various families affected by the 2022 attack at Tops Friendly Market. Additionally, separate agreements have been reached to settle claims against the gunman Payton Gendron’s family and a gun seller, Vintage Firearms LLC, as revealed by the plaintiffs’ lawyers on the same day.

The lawsuit against Mean Arms centered on a device designed to lock a magazine onto a rifle, intended to prevent the use of high-capacity magazines, which are illegal in New York. However, Attorney General James highlighted that Gendron was able to easily remove the lock from his AR-15-style rifle, allowing him to attach high-capacity magazines. Furthermore, she pointed out that the product packaging included step-by-step instructions for removing the lock.

“We hope that by holding this manufacturer accountable and banning it from selling this device in New York state, we can offer the people of Buffalo some measure of comfort,” James stated during a news conference in the city.

Relatives of some victims joined James at the announcement, expressing that the settlement represents a significant step forward. Pamela Pritchett, whose mother, Pearl Young, was among those killed, emphasized the urgency of preventing such tragedies. “No one should be able to come into a store and, in two minutes, inflict so much damage to a community, to a family, to children,” she said. Young was a 77-year-old Sunday school teacher who also ran a food pantry.

Everytown Law, which assisted in representing some survivors and victims’ families, noted that Vintage Firearms has permanently closed its operations, and its owner has agreed not to seek a federal firearms license in the future. Eric Tirschwell of Everytown Law mentioned that the settlements with Gendron’s parents remain confidential.

Attorneys representing the gunman’s parents and Vintage Firearms declined to comment on the matter.

Authorities have stated that Gendron, who is white, specifically targeted the Tops supermarket located in a predominantly Black neighborhood. The victims of this heinous act ranged in age from 32 to 86 and included a security guard, a man shopping for a birthday cake, a grandmother of nine, and the mother of a former Buffalo fire commissioner.

Currently, Gendron is serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole after pleading guilty in November 2022 to multiple state charges, including murder. A trial concerning federal hate crime and weapons charges is anticipated to commence later this year, with Gendron having pleaded not guilty. The Justice Department has indicated its intention to pursue the death penalty.

Photo: Police walk outside the Tops grocery store May 15, 2022, in Buffalo, N.Y. A white gunman was charged with killing 10 Black people in a racist mass shooting at a Buffalo supermarket in an indictment that could make him eligible for the death penalty if he is found guilty. (AP Photo/Joshua Bessex, File)

Copyright 2026 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.