The anti-gun group Everytown for Gun Safety has joined forces with politicians in Kansas City and Illinois to sue the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms for issuing a federal firearms license to a manufacturer allegedly known to contribute to gun-related crime in Kansas City and Chicago.
Last year, Kansas City and Everytown sued Jimenez Arms for knowingly or negligently selling firearms to illegal gun runners in Missouri. Jimenez Arms declared bankruptcy a month later, but owner Paul Jimenez soon reorganized as JA Industries, secured another FFL, and kept producing firearms. Everytown, et al, is suing the ATF because they believe the feds should not have issued a new license to JA Industries.
“I wasn’t surprised Mr. Jimenez tried to get a new license, but I was shocked the ATF let it happen,” said Alla Lefkowitz, the director of affirmative litigation for Everytown Law. “They’re letting him make a mockery of the licensing process.”
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“It is inexcusable that the regulators we rely on to enforce federal gun laws have failed to take action despite the clear evidence that Jimenez Arms contributed to gun trafficking,” Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas said. “This effort is about accountability — and it’s also protecting Kansas City residents by addressing an ongoing threat to public safety in our city.”
The plaintiffs claim that the ATF knew Jimenez Arms had been selling firearms to illegal gun dealers in Kansas City. James Samuels, a former Kansas City firefighter, operated a gun-running ring in the city primarily using Jimenez Arms firearms. Samuels allegedly trafficked 77 firearms into Kansas City, 57 of which were from Jimenez, according to an affidavit written by an ATF agent. Usually, Samuels ordered the firearms from Jimenez and had them sent to a local FFL, but at one point, Samuels had 11 firearms shipped directly to his house.
It’s unclear how much Jimenez and his employees knew about Samuels’ activities. According to the same affidavit, Samuels was able to have firearms shipped to his house because he told Jimenez that his FFL had changed their address. When Jimenez Arms employees contacted Samuels and asked him about straw purchasing, he assured them that he made buyers visit the FFL and pass a background check before purchasing.
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This isn’t the first time Paul Jimenez had been involved in a bankruptcy following a lawsuit. Jimenez purchased Jimenez Arms—then called Bryco Arms—from his old boss, Bruce Jennings, in a bankruptcy auction. Jennings declared bankruptcy after he lost a lawsuit brought by the family of a boy who was accidentally shot with a Bryco Arms handgun. Jimenez, then the factory’s foreman, purchased the company for $510,000.
JA Industries can’t be found online, but their handguns are still being sold by at least one dealer in Missouri. The pistols bear a striking resemblance to those previously produced by Jimenez Arms.
The ffl licensing system is making a mokery of the constitution of the united states of america. 2nd amendment. When the people’s vote no longer matters and they do what they want to regardless of the people. They are tyrannical government at that point.
Meanwhile, Traitor Joe Xiden and his lackey, Kumbaya Hairy are pulling out all the stops to release the Antifa/BLM riotous, arsonist, thugs without bail. They’re also providing legal aid at taxpayer expense to these very real criminals. So while it’s perfectly legitimate to advocate for violent criminal thugs, many of whom are repeat offenders, it’s absolutely IMPERATIVE to sue and prosecute firearm/accessories manufacturers. In other words, grant sainthood to the dirtbags committing violent crimes, but demonize anyone who happened to make a tool that the dirtbags used in their crime spree.
The dealer listed is not a Missouri Dealer. It is a Michigan gunsmith shop.
I would like to know how ? The manufacturing Company or the gun is at Fault?
But for some reason they want to blame all parties.
Under these circumstances it would set the precedent to Sue the automotive Industry for any DUI deaths? But only the operator is held accountable ?
Hate to say it, but having had an FFL. The manufacturer took someone’s word about background checks and sent firearms directly to his house. Which is against the law. You aren’t even supposed to ship across state lines without shipping to an FFL.
It’s the trigger human interface that causes the problems and you know how modern humans want to blame anything but themselves.
Hey blue dog dumba$$, why don’t you ask why the ATF has not arrested Eric Holder and Obummer for giving firearms to cartels that used those firearms to kill Americans
Everytown is a Farce. Nothing more than a Bloomberg, Soros paid Front. They now control the useful Socialist Party of traitor Democrats. Time to fight back.
Daang, this is a conflicting situation for me. On one hand, I’m a hardcore constitutionalist, believer in freedom, and a certified gun nut. That part of me hates to see government interference of the gun industry, which is already facing too much hatred from the current office.
I’ve also studied the history of the ATF, and I have ZERO use or respect for the organization, nor the agents thereof.
The other part feels like giving the ATF an “attaboy”. Jimenez should be ashamed of having his name on those cast zinc boat anchors that he believes are quality pistols. Shutting them down would be doing the public a great service.
So folks who can’t afford your idea of a quality handgun have no right to self defense???
These weapons if fed with fmj will stop an attack better than a ball bat or machete. There is a place for these guns as well as high points.
These claims of handguns being sold and distributed without going through an FFL dealer in a major metropolitan area are scary. If they prove true, the offenders should be punished. But, certainly this story makes me want to revisit our laws regarding universal background checks, the gunshow loophole and firearm manufacturer immunity.
The author refers to the bankruptcy of Bryco, and that is an interesting story and somewhat relevant to some of the goings-on now. That particular… set of assets? Manufacturing facility? had existed since the late 60s under several different names – Raven, Jennings, Bryco, Jimenez, JA – and when somebody put together a decent lawsuit, the lawyers would take over, the company would go bankrupt, a new company name was engraved on the slide and cheap, pot metal guns kept churning out into the streets of America like before. Bryco folded when a boy named Brandon Maxfield brought suit against Bryco after being shot by one of their fine products, the lawyers played around with the name of the company, and all of the sudden, Jimenez was making guns and there was no Bryco to settle accounts. It almost feels like how Remington is ducking justice for the survivors and families of the victims of the Newtown Massacre. This is an example of the firearm industry using the worst of the law profession to evade their responsibility for violence in American schools and on streets in American cities. This brings shame to all of us as firearm enthusiasts. We are all diminished for their actions and we should support any effort to run these charlatans out of our hobby.
Jimenez was a part of the Ring of Fire. Nothing of value is lost when any of the Ring of Fire manufacturers go out of business. The Ring of Fire started in southern California near tool manufacturers and used cheap zinc plating on their firearms like the zinc plating commonly used on tools. That zinc plating is good about not holding fingerprints, making these pot metal guns even more desirable for crimes than just the mere price. Any choke point that can be found to shut down the manufacturing of these junk guns should be celebrated.
You are obviously a FUDD. Remington is not being sued because of any defect in the firearm sold (for which it, and all other manufacturers would still be liable under current law) but on a theory of “negligent advertising”. The theory–and it is only a theory–that showing tacticool guys and soldiers running around with Bushmaster rifles somehow encourages “some” people to purchase their guns so that they can go and kill a bunch of people. There are a few HUGE factual flaws in this theory. First, the shooter did not purchase the rifle, his mother did. Not only is she dead and unable to testify as to what advertising (if any) encouraged her to purchase the Bushmaster, she wasn’t the one who went postal. Since the shooter is dead, he cannot testify as to what advertising HE saw that encouraged him to select the Bushmaster when he went into the school, as opposed to the shotgun he left in the car, as opposed to the fact that it held 30 round mags (not one of which he emptied). (He also had a pair of pistols, one of which he used to commit suicide.) Then there is the fact that he was a mentally disordered individual, probably autistic, who had become increasingly violent with age. The fact is that this was the sole theory that the plaintiff’s attorneys could come up with to avoid the federal law bar, a law enacted when manufacturer after manufacturer was sued not because they manufactured a defective product, but because they were the deep pockets. And because the plaintiffs’ bar wanted to put the manufacturers out of business because they were unable to enact comprehensive gun control laws that would ban all guns.
Last but not least, JA is NOT being pursued for manufacturing defective firearms, but for violating criminal statutes regulating the sales of firearms. The quality of their guns is not an issue.
Excellent rebuttal to the OP’s statement. You only got one thing wrong: Blue Dog (He/Him), as he calls himself is not a FUDD. He appears to be a paid propagandist from Every Town. His aren’t the words of a misinformed, gullible person. They are the words of someone crafting a narrative to further Every Town’s agenda.
Everytown nothing more than a Bloomberg financed front for the Left Democrat Socialists.
So the dept of education has no responsibility in the sandy hook incident? They bought enough weapons to arm a batillion of troops, yet none of those weapons or school security guards were present at the school. If we are gonna play the blame game let’s drag their asses on the board too….
????? what nonsense. The BATF is the agency which controls the manufacture, importation and distribution of all firearms in the US. They also license and inspect all firearms dealers. Since the BATF controls the manufacture of firearms junk guns and Saturday night specials can’t be made.
Ah, yes, another rant from gun hating libtard blue dog. Why to you feel the need to troll this forum?
And please don’t use the term ‘we’ when discussing gun owners. You are not part of our culture. What you are is completely full of shit.
Stfu lib troll, paid shill
Blue dog, you do not really think you are fooling anyone with phrases like “ all of us firearm enthusiasts”. A “ firearm enthusiast” would not take the positions that Remington is dodging liability for Sandy Hook. The premise is ludicrous. While it is possible I suppose, that a legitimate “firearm enthusiast” would be compelled to print their preferred pronouns, my guess is the number of those individuals would be very small in number. Seemingly, ALL of your positions concerning firearms read like a wet dream of the gun grabbing left. I support your right to express your opinion, something the far left does not, but please drop the pathetic attempt to present your opinions as “all of us firearm enthusiast”. You are a hoplophobic gun grabbing troll, and anyone reading these pages knows it.
How much is Bloomberg paying for your soul?
Troll somewhere else
Lanza, or whatever his name was, started out as a timid boy who turned into an aggressive monster. How did that happen. Video games? The “experts” say no. Psychotropics? The experts say no. But now it seems the “worst of the law profession” to target a fake hobgoblin and “Blue Dog he/him” is all in.
Blue dog you are a clown. First off the so called Gun show loophole is less then 2% of all sales, so you are BS on that worn out left wing nonsense. Universal checks ? You say you are a gun enthusiast well then you would know that universal checks is strictly a way for our government (the dems) getting unnecessary info on law abiding supposedly free citizens. And the fact that you believe that a Gun manufacturing company is responsible for the Newtown tragedy or any other crime committed by some one as out of touch as you are, slams the door on any credibility you would ever hope to have. Stop pretending to be something you aren’t, it’s obvious you are out to spread more anti American left wing drama.