NJ Attorney General Sues Two Gun Shops for Selling AR-15 Ammunition Without Buyer Verification

Butch’s Gun World and Point Blank Guns and Ammo are accused of selling high-capacity AR-15 ammunition to undercover agents without verifying eligibility.

EAST HANOVER, NJ - Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin announced civil lawsuits against two New Jersey gun retailers, Butch’s Gun World in Vineland and Point Blank Guns and Ammo LLC in East Hanover, for allegedly selling large quantities of AR-15 rifle ammunition and firearm-related products to undercover investigators without verifying buyer credentials. 

This practice, according to the Attorney General, violates state requirements aimed at preventing potentially dangerous individuals—such as those with criminal records, domestic violence restraining orders, or prior mental health confinements—from obtaining gun-related products.

“Almost a year ago, we put the gun industry on notice with our first actions under the 2022 legislation. That law requires anyone selling gun-related parts, including ammunition, to take steps to ensure that they are selling only to those legally permitted to possess firearms,” said Ravi Ramanathan, Director of the Statewide Affirmative Firearms Enforcement Office (SAFE). “We were disappointed to find not one, but two, gun shops selling cases of AR-15 ammunition for cash without first verifying that the buyers can lawfully possess firearms.”

The complaints stem from undercover operations led by the Office of Gun Safety Accountability and Firearms Enforcement (SAFE). During these investigations, which took place in early 2024, the stores allegedly sold ammunition and magazines to first-time buyers without requesting any identification or permits. Among the transactions in question:

• Butch’s Gun World: In March, a salesperson sold a box of .223 caliber ammunition and a handgun magazine to a first-time buyer. In June, the store reportedly sold a 1,000-round case of .223 ammunition, often used in AR-15 rifles, to another first-time customer.
• Point Blank Guns and Ammo: In March, the store sold a handgun magazine to an undercover agent. In May, another agent was able to purchase a 1,000-round case of .223 ammunition for cash, again without identification checks.

The lawsuits aim to enforce compliance with New Jersey’s firearms public nuisance legislation, which mandates that retailers conduct due diligence to prevent sales to individuals prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition. 

The SAFE Office, created by Attorney General Platkin in 2022, was instrumental in this investigation, working to enforce regulations that protect public safety and reduce gun violence.

“Keeping guns out of the wrong hands is a critical public safety priority. That is why the Legislature required New Jersey’s gun industry to adopt meaningful measures to avoid selling ammunition and other gun-related products to people who cannot legally possess a gun,” said Attorney General Platkin. “The compliance requirements this law imposes are no different from the types of demands we place on other industries that create a hazard to human health, and we will enforce our law.”

The cases are being prosecuted by Deputy Attorneys General Jonathan Mangel, Giancarlo Piccinini, and Loren Miller, along with Honors Law Clerk Andrea Cavazos, under Assistant Attorney General David Leit’s supervision.