Georgia-based Mean Arms has agreed to a $1.75 million settlement and a permanent ban on New York sales of its “MA Lock” device. The settlement resolves a lawsuit by Attorney General Letitia James alleging the company deceptively marketed the lock as a legal workaround for the New York SAFE Act.
BUFFALO, NY (4-minute read) — Nearly four years after the devastating mass shooting at a Tops Friendly Market, a measure of legal accountability has been reached in a landmark case against the firearm accessory industry. On Wednesday, February 11, 2026, New York Attorney General Letitia James announced a $1.75 million settlement with Mean LLC, better known as Mean Arms. The agreement requires the Georgia-based company to pay restitution to the families of the 10 people killed and the three individuals injured in the racially motivated attack on May 14, 2022.
The lawsuit centered on the company’s “MA Lock” device, which was designed to replace a standard magazine release button to make AR-15-style rifles compliant with the New York SAFE Act. However, the Attorney General’s office alleged that Mean Arms actively undermined the law by providing instructions on how to easily remove the lock. Investigators found that the gunman purchased a rifle with the MA Lock installed and utilized those very instructions to convert the firearm back into an “illegal assault firearm” capable of accepting 30-round standard-capacity magazines.
Closing the “Compliance” Loophole
The settlement marks a significant shift in how “compliance” products are scrutinized by state authorities. Attorney General James argued that by including step-by-step removal instructions and videos, Mean Arms effectively facilitated the illegal modification of firearms. “Today, justice looks like accountability, and we have ensured that this device will never be sold in our state again,” James said during a press conference at the Merriweather Library, just blocks from the shooting site.
As part of the injunction, Mean Arms must:
- Permanently stop all sales of the MA Lock in New York.
- Remove all claims that the device is legal in New York from its marketing and packaging.
- Notify all current distributors that the product cannot be sold or resold within the state.
This settlement, combined with separate agreements reached with the gunman’s parents and the gun dealer Vintage Firearms LLC, represents one of the largest financial payouts from a firearm part manufacturer following a mass shooting.
Safety Tip: For the responsible firearm owner, the “compliance” market can be a legal minefield. When purchasing devices designed to bring a firearm into compliance with state laws; such as the New York SAFE Act or California’s restrictive features list, it is vital to understand that the burden of legality ultimately falls on the owner. If a product is advertised as a “workaround” or features an easy-removal design, it may not satisfy the “permanent modification” requirements often required by state statutes.
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