Frivolous Lawfare against FFL in Lake County, IL by Everytown, Giffords and others in an attempt to put it out of business
- Sigiloso1776
- 3 hours ago
- 10 min read
The Highland Park, IL shooting that led to the Illinois “Assualt Weapons” ban has created a massive attack on not only the rights of IL residents, but also businesses that have done nothing wrong. This story will focus on one: Red Dot Arms of Lake Villa, Illinois. Red Dot Arms is the FFL who legally transferred the firearm that the Highland Park Shooter, Robert Crimo III, used during the July 4th, 2022 mass shooting at the Fourth of July parade.
Crimo purchased the firearm from Bud’s Gun Shop online and had it shipped to Red Dot Arms, which is standard when buying a gun online (have to have it shipped to a FFL, which the FFL that the firearm is shipped to completes the background check and such). Red Dot Arms complete all necessary steps to legally transfer the firearm to Crimo and there was nothing that came up during the background check or anything else (nothing out of the ordinary) that would raise a red flag that Crimo would misuse the firearm. Crimo was a resident of Highwood, which has a local ordinance (enacted in 2013) that bans residents from possessing so-called assault weapons. Funny enough though, the Illinois State Police (who validates an individual’s FOID card during the background check process) doesn’t even have the ordinance on their website.
Granted, it doesn’t matter where someone is a resident regarding what they can and can’t purchase. People from Chicago for the longest time would go to FFL’s on the outskirts of the city to buy firearms that were not allowed in Chicago. Those firearms (places that have local ordinances) can be kept in places outside of where the ordinance is in effect, such as at second houses, family member’s that live elsewhere, etc. So no law was broken when Crimo picked up the AR-15 from Red Dot Arms. It’s the resident’s responsibility to follow their local ordinances. Well, that’s not what one frivolous lawsuit is saying.
As with every hi-profile shooting, the gun control groups smell blood in the water to further their agenda (fundraising/“coffin surfing” and politicizing the tragedy for their own organizational and legislative goals). In this instance, Everytown and other gun control groups worked with victims/survivors of the shooting to go after EVERYONE who was involved with the legal transfer of the firearm to Crimo.
Such emotional BS, as you’d expect.
Fast forward some more and you can see where this nonsense is all going.
And here is where Red Dot Arms comes into play. This lawsuit is going after S&W because of the way they market the M&P AR-15 (oh no, it’s a cool rifle and they want to make people want one based on the decades old M&P series of firearms that have been sold to civilians since the 1950’s. The horror!!!!!), Bud’s Gun Shop for shipping the firearm to Red Dot Arms even though Crimo was a resident of a village that had a local ordinance (which again, doesn’t prohibit the individual from purchasing anything, the individual just can’t keep the firearm in city limits), and Red Dot Arms for transferring the Firearm to Crimo, even though they did everything right and Crimo had nothing in his background that flagged the sale. Everytown even LIED to the media and said they (Red Dot Arms) did something illegal, which of course, they didn’t:
Alla Lefkowitz, senior director of affirmative litigation at Everytown Law, previously said that Crimo III used a gun that was “deceptively and unfairly marketed” to him by Smith & Wesson, “illegally sold” to him by Bud’s Gun Shop and Red Dot Arms and “negligently put in his hands” by his father.
Highland Park, Highwood, Deerfield and others in that area are a breeding ground for “progressive” (regressive) people who think their bowel movements smell like flowers. They hate the 2A and have viewsets like this:
It’s not about right or wrong, it’s about opportunity to cause hatred and target people and places that don’t “conform” to their beliefs. Currently, Red Dot Arms is struggling becuase of the lawfare being used against them. This is a privately owned shop and the ghouls at Everytown and the other ones doing the heavy lifting for the plaintiff(s) have deep pockets. Mark Smith (Four Boxes Diner) even did a video on how ludicrous this case is, and the fact the judge presiding over it is actually allowing it to continue:
The goal is simple: Shut down Red Dot Arms because it’s an easy target, even though they did everything by the book AND fully cooperated with law enforcement and the ATF to give them everything they needed to do their investigation, which of course resulted in the conclusion that nothing was done wrong by Red Dot Arms.
There’s a LOT more to this story, and there will be other articles out that discuss some of the backend things and new laws that Illinois enacted to target gun shops in the manner that Red Dot Arms is being battered. In fact, here’s a quick snippet of what one of the laws in IL are:
Chicago – Attorney General Kwame Raoul filed an amicus brief defending the validity of the Firearm Industry Responsibility Act (FIRA) against claims that it is preempted by a federal statute, the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA).
Raoul’s brief was filed in an interlocutory appeal arising out of numerous cases brought against Smith & Wesson Brand Inc. (Smith & Wesson) by victims of the fatal 2022 shooting at the Highland Park, Illinois Independence Day parade. The brief explains that the Illinois General Assembly enacted FIRA to advance the state’s interest of protecting public safety and asserts that its enactment was a permissible exercise of state sovereign authority.
“As Attorney General, it is my responsibility to protect Illinois residents and businesses from fraud, deception and unfair business practices. More importantly, it is my priority to protect our communities from deadly gun violence as a result of those unfair business practices,” Raoul said. “I will continue to ensure that FIRA, which is an important tool in effectuating both of those interests, is preserved to deter and remediate the effects of gun violence in Illinois.”
Following the Highland Park shooting that left seven people dead and dozens of others injured, many victims brought legal actions against Smith & Wesson. Smith & Wesson filed to dismiss the case for numerous reasons, including that FIRA is preempted by PLCAA.
Raoul’s brief, however, explains FIRA does not run afoul of PLCAA because it was enacted to serve the narrow but important purpose of deterring firearm industry members from engaging in irresponsible and unlawful practices that actively contribute to gun violence in Illinois by holding industry members accountable when they engage in those tactics. It also imposes liability on firearms industry members only for their own unlawful conduct, not for the misuse of firearms by a third party.
Additionally, the brief states FIRA was enacted to address certain well-documented practices by firearm industry members that contribute to gun violence by promoting unlawful conduct or maintaining irresponsible business practices. For example, legislators have expressed concern about false, misleading, or predatory marketing schemes, such as firearm advertisements that target children with cartoon characters marketing a smaller version of an AR-15 firearm. FIRA also addresses firearm dealers’ failure to uphold precautions that prevent firearms entering the illegal market through theft or straw purchasing that could be sold for use in criminal acts.
If you would like to help this upstanding FFL who is being wrongfully targeted, here’s a link to a fundraiser to help cover their legal fees while this and other frivolous cases are being worked through:
Help Protect Red Dot Arms From Anti-Gun Lawfare
Although Red Dot Arms followed every state and federal requirement governing this firearm transfer, the company now finds itself defending twenty-five lawsuits arising from the purchaser’s criminal actions more than two years later.
Red Dot Arms verified the purchaser’s valid Illinois Firearm Owner’s Identification (FOID) Card, submitted the mandatory background check through the Illinois State Police, received approval to proceed, and lawfully transferred the firearm. More than two years later, that purchaser committed one of Illinois' worst mass murders. Today, despite fully complying with every state and federal law governing the sale, Red Dot Arms, a family-owned federally licensed firearms dealer, is defending itself against twenty-five lawsuits brought by nationally known anti-gun organizations and some of the nation's largest law firms. If these lawsuits succeed, they will establish a dangerous precedent: that even complete compliance with the law may not protect a lawful firearms retailer from years of crushing litigation, overwhelming legal costs, and financial ruin. We truly need your help to fund our legal defense and continue standing against these lawsuits.
This is our story.
Since 2012, Red Dot Arms, Inc. has operated in Lake Villa as a family-owned firearms retailer and firearms training provider serving customers throughout Lake County.
Today, the company is asking for help as it defends itself against twenty-five lawsuits supported by a large group of plaintiffs’ attorneys and national gun-control organizations, including Everytown Law and the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence. These groups are attempting to hold Red Dot Arms and others responsible for the horrific actions of an individual who used a firearm that had been lawfully transferred by the company nearly two and a half years earlier.
On February 13, 2020, Red Dot Arms lawfully transferred a Smith & Wesson M&P 15 rifle to Robert Crimo III. At the time of the transaction, he presented a valid Illinois Firearm Owner’s Identification Card. The FOID card had been issued by the Illinois State Police after the agency determined that he was legally eligible to purchase and possess firearms and ammunition in Illinois.
After the required paperwork was completed, the mandatory background-check request was submitted to the Illinois State Police. The company received a “proceed” response, authorizing the transaction. The buyer then left the store with the firearm on February 13, 2020.
Nearly two and a half years later, on July 4, 2022, the shooter committed the horrific attack. He killed seven people and injured 48 more after firing from a rooftop into a crowd attending the Independence Day parade in Highland Park, Illinois. The shooter later pleaded guilty to all counts and was sentenced to seven consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole.
Although the store was closed for Independence Day, the owner of Red Dot Arms was out when he received a call from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. He immediately headed to the office and provided the ATF with all available records and information relating to the shooter and the firearm transaction. Agents left with the requested information within the hour.
That cooperation was later recognized publicly. During a January 2025 presentation at the SHOT Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, an ATF representative identified Red Dot Arms as an outstanding example of the cooperation and working relationship the agency hopes to establish between firearms retailers and federal regulators.
The company was subject to oversight by both the Illinois State Police and the ATF. Neither agency identified a violation arising from this firearm transfer. Despite following the law and cooperating fully with investigators, Red Dot Arms is now defending twenty-five lawsuits arising from criminal acts committed by the purchaser more than two years after the lawful transfer.
These lawsuits are not based on allegations that Red Dot Arms violated a firearm transfer law, ignored a required background check, failed to follow state or federal procedures, or even deviated from the rules governing firearm sales. Red Dot Arms followed every legal requirement. The purchaser possessed a valid FOID card issued by the Illinois State Police, the required background check was submitted, and the Illinois State Police authorized the transfer before the firearm was released.
Instead, the plaintiffs claim that Red Dot Arms should have refused the sale despite the purchaser’s valid FOID card and the Illinois State Police’s approval. They argue that the company should have treated his age and other circumstances as warning signs, even though Red Dot Arms had no information indicating that he could be dangerous or likely to misuse the firearm.
That is precisely what makes these lawsuits so troubling. If a federally licensed firearms dealer can be held financially responsible after fully complying with every law and every government-mandated procedure, then legal compliance alone is no longer enough to avoid years of costly litigation.
For Red Dot Arms, the punishment is not a criminal conviction or a regulatory sanction. It is the process itself. Years of litigation, enormous legal expenses, and the threat of financial ruin can accomplish what legislation could not: forcing a federally licensed firearms retailer that followed every state and federal requirement governing this firearm transfer to close its doors.
Red Dot Arms is determined to continue defending itself against that pressure. This fight is about more than one family-owned business. It is about whether a federally licensed firearms retailer that followed every legal requirement governing this transaction can be driven out of existence through relentless litigation.
Unfortunately, an insurance company may deny coverage based solely on the allegations contained in a lawsuit, regardless of whether those allegations are supported by evidence or ultimately proven. In these cases, the plaintiffs have alleged that Red Dot Arms somehow knowingly and intentionally “aided and abetted” the attack. Those allegations have left the company without insurance coverage to pay for its legal defense, even though Red Dot Arms faithfully paid premiums to that very same insurance company for well over a decade.
This is where Red Dot Arms needs your help.
Red Dot Arms, its employees, and the families whose livelihoods depend on the company need financial support to continue defending against these claims. The company’s attorney, Antonacci Law LLC, is working tirelessly on its behalf. However, after three years of litigation, Red Dot Arms has accumulated a substantial outstanding legal balance.
As these twenty-five cases proceed into discovery, depositions, motion practice, and potentially multiple trials, Red Dot Arms will face significantly greater attorney fees, expert costs, court expenses, and other litigation costs. To date, the company has been forced to fund this legal defense solely on its own. Red Dot Arms must cover these mounting expenses to continue defending itself.
If you support the Second Amendment, believe in protecting small businesses, or oppose the use of lawfare by anti-gun activist organizations seeking to force lawful members of the firearms industry out of business, please consider donating to Red Dot Arms’ legal defense.
You can also support Red Dot Arms by shopping at the store, purchasing available products and services, or registering for a firearms training class. Donations will support the legal defense, while purchases at RedDotArms.com and class registrations will help keep the business, its employees, and its training programs operating during this difficult fight.
Even if you are unable to contribute financially, sharing this campaign can help our story reach others who may be able and willing to stand with us. We are committed to continuing to defend ourselves and serving our customers and students for as long as we are able.