AG Nessel Joins Coalition to Combat Gun Violence by Holding Accountable Irresponsible Members of Firearm Industry

LANSING – Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has joined a multistate coalition of 16 attorneys general to hold irresponsible firearms industry members accountable for their devastating impact on gun violence. This multistate coalition, the first of its kind, aims to reduce gun violence through the coordinated enforcement of the States’ respective civil liability and consumer protection laws, among other authority, thereby promoting public safety and saving lives. 

“The firearms industry, much like the pharmaceutical companies that fueled the opioid epidemic, has the responsibility to ensure their business practices don’t lead to the loss of Michigan lives,” Nessel said. “Those who enable gun violence through reckless and deceptive practices must be held accountable. I am proud to stand with my colleagues and work to prevent these tragedies in our communities.” 

The states joining the coalition all share the goal of holding members of the firearms industry—including manufacturers, distributors, and sellers—accountable when their business practices result in unlawful sales, gun trafficking, and other outcomes that put lives at risk. 

Attorney General Nessel has been actively engaged in state-based legislation and court challenges to expand Michigan law, providing the Department with more tools to better protect consumers. This includes strong support for House Bills 6183-6185, the Firearm Industry Responsibility Act, led by Representative Ranjeev Puri. These bills recently passed the House Judiciary committee and are pending a vote on the House floor. If signed into law, Michigan would become the tenth state with a firearm industry accountability law. 

Many of the offices joining the multistate coalition have pursued civil enforcement in their jurisdictions under their respective state law authorities: 

• In New Jersey, the Statewide Affirmative Firearms Enforcement (SAFE) Office has sued gun stores for repeated sales to unverified buyers, a gun show operator and gun show vendor for targeting the sale of ghost gun products to state residents, and a gun store for failing to properly store its guns overnight as required by state law, which resulted in the theft of twenty weapons.
• In September 2024, Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown and District of Columbia Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb sued three federally licensed gun dealers (PDF) for illegally selling dozens of firearms to a straw purchaser who then trafficked the weapons, mainly into Washington, D.C.
• In 2020, the District of Columbia filed suit against Polymer80, a ghost gun manufacturer and distributor, for selling unserialized, untraceable firearms to Washington, D.C. residents. In 2022, the District won a landmark $4 million court judgement against the company, which was found liable for making false and misleading claims about the legality of its products.
• In 2022, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison sued the retailer Fleet Farm for the repeated negligent sale of firearms to straw purchasers despite obvious warning signs.
• In 2022, Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson sued a gun retailer and its owner for unlawfully selling over 3,600 large-capacity magazines. The parties entered into a consent decree in 2024, with the defendants agreeing to pay the state $3 million for violating Washington law.

Attorney General Nessel has been a vocal supporter of gun safety measures, including a federal ban on handgun sales to anyone under the age of 21, greater accountability for gun manufacturers, initiatives to rid the streets of untraceable ghost guns, common-sense regulations on the sale of firearms, and a prohibition on firearms in the Capitol and other state buildings. 

In September of last year, Attorney General Nessel gave testimony before the Michigan Senate in favor of gun safety laws that would increase the number of background checks for gun purchasers, set safe storage standards, and introduce an Extreme Risk Protection Order procedure to prevent individuals convicted of domestic violence misdemeanors from possessing or owning a firearm for eight years following their conviction. That legislation was signed into law by Governor Gretchen Whitmer in November of 2023. 

The nation’s gun violence epidemic causes more than a massive loss of life. A Joyce Foundation report published earlier this year on state civil enforcement efforts noted that gun violence results in over $500 billion in economic losses annually in the United States. 

The States joining the coalition are California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts,  Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Vermont.