NJ settles lawsuit against Morris County gun store in violation of safety law
FSS Armory, located in the Pine Brook section of Montville, was named in a lawsuit in December 2023 by Matthew Platkin, the state attorney general, along with two Pennsylvania stores for violations through the New Jersey Statewide Affirmative Firearms Enforcement Office.
SAFE was created as a way for the state to go after the gun industry in court for the "violations of the law that harm the health and safety of New Jersey residents," according to a statement from the Attorney General's Office.
According to court documents, FSS "stored loose, unsecured rifles, stacks of handguns and gun boxes in an open room directly under two ground-floor windows" abutting a glass-doored entrance from the parking lot. The documents said the weapons were visible from the outside and in July 2022, posted a picture online showing the loose guns and gun boxes.
In January 2023, the store was burglarized with the thieves breaking the ground floor windows, leaning inside and removing 18 guns within arm's reach. They stole seven pistols, six shotguns, four rifles and one revolver. The alarm wasn't triggered and it wasn't until the owner got to the store the next morning that the police learned of the burglary.
According to the settlement, one of the burglars had searched gun stores in New Jersey on his phone and FSS Armory was part of the search. After the theft of the guns, the burglars traveled to a Passaic jewelry store and held the owners and two customers at gunpoint and stole "a significant amount of jewelry" while injuring one of the owners.
Only nine of the stolen guns have been recovered and have been at a crime scene or on a criminal, Platkin stated.
'This case is a stark example of the consequences that can result when unsecured firearms fall into the wrong hands," Platkin said. "By storing these firearms with inadequate security measures, FSS Armory made it easy for them to be stolen and later used in crimes"
Platkin said other licensed gun retailers "should take heed" of what happened in FFS Armory.
FSS Armory admitted liability for its negligence and for improperly storing the guns in the store. It agreed to several measures, including:
Improving the store's security and firearm storage
The security measures and other compliance obligations are subject to final approval by the SAFE Office
Installing an alarm system capable of making real-time notifications of a break-in on all windows and exterior doors,
Installing bars on all exterior windows that don't allow someone to reach their arm through
Store all shotguns and rifles in a rack with a locking device. Firearms and ammunition should be stored in a heavy-gauge metal cabinet or a heavy-gauge mesh wire cage or secured in a safe or vault. Those displayed in a glass case can remain as long as they are secured with a steel cable or other "adequate-looking device."
Working with the Attorney General to appoint an independent monitor to check its compliance for four years and FSS will bear the costs for the inspection.
FSS is also financially responsible and is required to pay a total of $125,000 to the New Jersey State Department of the Treasury. The first payment of $15,000 is due in 30 days and then payments of $10,000 will continue every month until May 2026.
'Today's settlement agreement demonstrates that our state's firearms industry public safety law works exactly as intended,' Ravi Ramanathan, director of SAFE, said. 'Companies in all industries are held responsible when their actions jeopardize the health and safety of the public."
Once the provisions in the consent judgment are complete, the claims against FFS will be dismissed with prejudice.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Morris County NJ gun store settles lawsuit with New Jersey
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