Gun Accessory Maker Pays $1.75M to Buffalo Shooting Victims

Mean Arms to stop selling device used in racist attack that killed 10 at supermarket

Published on Feb. 12, 2026

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The maker of a gun accessory tied to the racist shooting at a Buffalo supermarket that killed 10 Black people has agreed to pay $1.75 million to survivors and victims' families. The settlement with Georgia-based Mean Arms also requires the company to stop selling the device in New York state.

Why it matters

The 2022 attack at Tops Friendly Market in a predominantly Black neighborhood of Buffalo sparked outrage and renewed calls for stricter gun laws. This settlement holds the accessory maker accountable and aims to provide some measure of comfort to the victims' families.

The details

According to New York Attorney General Letitia James, the Mean Arms accessory was supposed to keep people from swapping in high-capacity magazines, which are illegal in New York. However, the shooter was able to easily remove the lock and add high-capacity magazines, enabling the deadly attack. The company also provided instructions on how to remove the lock.

  • The attack occurred in 2022.
  • The settlement was announced on February 12, 2026.

The players

Mean Arms

A Georgia-based company that made a gun accessory tied to the Buffalo supermarket shooting.

Letitia James

The New York State Attorney General who filed the lawsuit against Mean Arms.

Payton Gendron

The white gunman who carried out the racist attack at the Tops Friendly Market in Buffalo, killing 10 Black people.

Vintage Firearms LLC

A gun seller that reached a separate agreement with victims' families and survivors.

Pamela Pritchett

The mother of victim Pearl Young, a 77-year-old Sunday school teacher who ran a food pantry.

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What they’re saying

“We hope that by holding this manufacturer accountable and banning it from selling this device in New York state, we can offer the people of Buffalo some measure of comfort.”

— Letitia James, New York State Attorney General

“No one should be able to come into a store and, in two minutes, inflict so much damage to a community, to a family, to children.”

— Pamela Pritchett, Mother of victim Pearl Young

What’s next

A trial on federal hate crime and weapons counts against the gunman, Payton Gendron, is expected to begin this year. The Justice Department has said it would seek the death penalty.

The takeaway

This settlement holds the gun accessory maker accountable and aims to provide some solace to the victims' families, but the pain and trauma of the racist attack in Buffalo continues. It underscores the need for stricter gun laws and measures to prevent such senseless violence from happening again.