Firearm retailer Hanover Armory has been ordered to pay the City of Baltimore $62 million dollars in damages after 'flooding the city with ghost guns,' according to the mayor's office.
Authorities say Hanover Armory is Maryland's largest ghost gun dealer.
During a trial which concluded Wednesday night, Mayor Brandon Scott and the City Council alleged the firearm retailer flooded the city with ghost guns, which in turn increased violent crime and posed a big threat to the health and safety of Baltimoreans.
Once obtained, the $62 million will flow into an abatement fund managed by the City of Baltimore that will be distributed to three community violence intervention groups.
According to the complainant in this case, between 2019 and 2022, ghost gun recoveries in Baltimore increased by nearly 1500%, with many of the recovered firearms linked to shootings, homicides, and youth-involved crimes.
Ghost gun kits appeal to prohibited purchasers such as children, convicted felons, domestic abusers, gun traffickers, and other at-risk individuals unable to obtain guns legally.
Unlike registered firearms, ghost guns are unserialized, untraceable firearms often sold as kits without ID checks or background checks.
“Baltimore has lost generations of friends, neighbors, and loved ones to gun violence. Together, we are saying enough is enough," says Mayor Brandon M. Scott.
"Today’s verdict is a massive victory in Baltimore’s fight against illegal ghost guns and the companies that have allowed these weapons to proliferate in our neighborhoods."
