Court Orders Butch’s Gun World to Comply with New Jersey Firearms Law

Superior Court ruling upholds SAFE Office enforcement and mandates safeguards against unlawful sales

VINELAND, NJ — July 23, 2025 — New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin has announced a legal victory in the State’s ongoing effort to enforce firearms industry accountability. A Superior Court judge has ruled against Butch’s Gun World, a licensed gun store in Vineland, compelling it to comply with New Jersey’s Firearms Industry Public Safety Law after undercover investigators made purchases of AR-15 ammunition and other products without any verification of lawful possession.

The ruling follows a civil lawsuit filed in November 2024 by the Statewide Affirmative Firearms Enforcement Office (SAFE) and the Attorney General’s Office. The court found no dispute in the facts presented by SAFE investigators and concluded that Butch’s Gun World had not “established ANY controls regarding the sale of gun related products.” Based on those findings, Superior Court Judge Robert G. Malestein issued a summary judgment in favor of the State and granted an injunction mandating full compliance with the law.

“This gun store was selling the same kind of ammunition used in mass shootings without taking any steps to determine if the buyers were even lawfully permitted to possess a firearm,” said Attorney General Platkin. “The judge explicitly found that the store had no safeguards in place to stop it from selling to people prohibited by law from possessing firearms, and that is a violation of our laws. I’m grateful for his commonsense, straightforward ruling, which will keep New Jersey citizens safe.”

The Firearms Industry Public Safety Law, enacted by the Legislature in July 2022 and codified at N.J.S.A. 2C:58-25, requires members of the gun industry in New Jersey to implement reasonable safeguards and business practices to prevent the sale of gun-related products to individuals prohibited from owning firearms.

The investigation into Butch’s Gun World revealed that the store sold over 1,000 rounds of AR-15 ammunition and related items to undercover agents without requesting identification or confirming legal eligibility. This activity led to legal action under the new law, which was specifically designed to curtail unlawful access to firearms and ammunition and address public safety risks.

Under the injunction, Butch’s Gun World is required to:

• Verify legal eligibility by selling only to licensed firearms businesses or to individuals presenting a valid New Jersey firearms ID card or permit;

• Request a government-issued photo ID (e.g., driver’s license) when the presented permit lacks a photo;

• Maintain written records of verification methods for each transaction involving gun-related products;

• Transmit sales verification records to the SAFE Office for three years;

• Develop written policies reflecting compliance with the injunction and post those policies in an area accessible to staff during operating hours;

• Train employees on compliance procedures using the written policies.

These requirements align with Section 2C:58-35(a)(2) of the Firearms Industry Public Safety Law and are intended to ensure that future sales at the store do not violate state or federal firearm possession laws.

“This kind of irresponsible behavior from gun industry members puts everyone at risk and illustrates why the Firearms Industry Public Safety Law is necessary,” said Ravi Ramanathan, Director of SAFE. “Gun violence is a public health epidemic, and in New Jersey, we hold the gun industry to reasonable accountability standards just as we would for other industries that create or sell dangerous products.”

The case was led by Deputy Director Jeremy Ershow, Assistant Attorneys General Shira Arnow and Zachary Rynar, and Deputy Attorney General Emily Erwin. Representation for the State was provided by Deputy Attorneys General Giancarlo G. Piccinini, Jonathan Mangel, Loren Miller, and Andrea Cavazos, under the supervision of Assistant Attorney General David Leit within the Affirmative Civil Enforcement Practice Group of the Division of Law.

Established in 2022 by Attorney General Platkin, the Statewide Affirmative Firearms Enforcement Office (SAFE) is the nation’s first dedicated state office focused on firearms industry compliance. It is tasked with enforcing provisions of the Firearms Industry Public Safety Law and implementing policies aimed at reducing gun violence through oversight and accountability measures.