AG REILLY SUES ONLINE WEAPONS AND AMMUNITION DEALERS CHARGING ILLEGAL SALES INTO MASSACHUSETTS
Sellers Alleged to Have Sold Wide Array of Illegal Weapons As Part of Online Sting; Four Sellers Agree to Permanent Bans
August 19, 2004
BOSTON - Attorney General Tom Reilly sued seven out-of-state online weapons sellers and three out-of-state ammunition sellers as part of his continuing effort to combat the sale of illegal products to Massachusetts citizens over the Internet.
The suits allege that the weapons sellers sold and shipped stun guns, switch-blade knives, swords, nunchaku (a/k/a numchucks), throwing stars, sling shots and dirk knives to an undercover investigator in violation of statutes banning the sale of such items. The weapons dealers that are subject to the lawsuits are:
* Talley Security Products (
www.talleysecurity.com) of Flagstaff, AZ
* Lifestyle Fascinations (
www.shoplifestyle.com) of Lakewood, NJ
* Bynoon.com (
www.bynoon.com) of Dunlap,TN
* C & M Enterprises (
www.1ninjaworld.com) of Fort Gaines, GA
* Copgear.net (
www.copgear.net) of Killeen, TX
* Martial Arts Gear (
www.martialartsgear.com) of Lafayette, LA
* Discount Martial Art Supply (
www.masupply.com) of Winnetka, CA
"We cannot allow these dangerous weapons to get into the hands of anyone in Massachusetts, particularly our children,” AG Reilly said. “If sellers think that they can hide behind a website and ship these illegal items into our state, they are mistaken.
The cases arose from undercover stings conducted by AG Reilly's Office in 2002 and 2003.
Four of the companies, Bynoon.com, Discount Martial Arts Supply, Lifestyle Fascination, and Talley Security Products, agreed to orders banning all future sales of weapons into Massachusetts and requiring payments of $5000 each to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. These companies must place a posting on their websites stating that they do not ship weapons into Massachusetts. They must also equip their sites with software that blocks any orders from a Massachusetts address.
The other cases are set for a preliminary injunction hearing before Judge Sikora at 2 PM on September 10.
Under Massachusetts law, the sale or possession of various weapons, such as switch blade knives, dirk knives, sling shots, throwing stars, numchucks, sword canes, and black jacks, is illegal. There is a separate statute that prohibits the sale or possession of electrical weapons, including stun guns.
"Our investigator had no trouble getting stun guns, switch blades, and cane swords on the Internet," AG Reilly added.
The ammunition dealers sued today are:
* C& EJ's Hunting and Fishing of Upper Marlboro, Maryland
* Dan's Sporting Goods of New Kensington, Pennsylvania
* Marksman's Mart of Pinckney, Michigan
Each delivered ammunition to an undercover investigator in Massachusetts without asking if the recipient was licensed to carry a firearm, in violation of Massachusetts law, and each was unlicensed to sell ammunition in the Commonwealth.
These cases are part of an overall initiative by AG Reilly's Office targeting the sale of illegal or age-prohibited products in Massachusetts, such as alcohol, cigarettes, ammunition and fireworks. During last year's holiday season, the Attorney General's Office worked with Toys "R" Us to remove a sling shot that violated the Massachusetts weapons statute from the company's store shelves and website.
Anyone with questions about whether or not weapons they have are prohibited by Massachusetts law should check with their local police department.
The case was handled by Assistant Attorneys General Jack Christin, David Monahan, and Timothy Moran of AG Reilly's Consumer Protection and Antitrust Division, with assistance from Investigator Todd Davis of the Investigations Division.