Buffalo Pushes Back Against Major Gun Manufacturers in Lawsuit, Citing Threat To Public Health
Buffalo, N.Y. is fighting back against gun manufacturers.
According to CNN, on Dec. 20, the city filed a state lawsuit in the Erie County branch of New York’s Supreme Court against several gun manufacturers, including Smith and Wesson, Beretta, Remington, Bushmaster, Glock, and “ghost gun companies.” The suit accuses the firearm companies of contributing to a condition “that endangers the safety and health of the public."
“Members of our community have suffered too much and for too long from gun violence,” Mayor Byron W. Brown said at a news conference. “We must do everything we can to decrease gun violence. Enabling the possession of illegal guns destroys lives and deeply affects our neighborhoods, especially in Black and Brown communities.”
The only firearm company to make a statement thus far is Bushmaster, calling the lawsuit "false."
The lawsuit comes seven months after the horrific shooting at Tops Friendly Markets store in Buffalo, New York, on May 14. White supremacist Payton Gendron, now 19, entered the grocery store with a Bushmaster XM-15, the same weapon at the Sandy Hook mass shooting in 2012, and opened fire. He shot and killed 10 Black people. Last month, Gendron pleaded guilty to 15 charges, including domestic terrorism motivated by hate, murder, and attempted murder.
Gun violence has significantly increased in Buffalo over the past two years. According to Buffalo's official government website, as of March 2021, the number of people shot in Buffalo over the first two months of the year skyrocketed 140% compared to the same timespan in 2020.
In a press release, Buffalo’s Corporation Counsel Chambers stated, “The City of Buffalo is not going to let these gun industry members continue to flood our City with illegally possessed guns. We must hold them accountable. We have been following the public nuisance law in New York and will be considering additional defendants and causes of action as we get into discovery.”
The city is seeking an unspecified amount of money from the gun companies to combat gun violence.
