Record award against gun dealer in online kit sale case
A jury in Kentucky on Wednesday ordered a ghost gun company, Husky Armory, to pay $104.2 million in the death of a teenager who purchased a handgun-building kit from the company’s website and used it to die by suicide, according to the Associated Press. The award is believed to be the largest ever against a gun dealer in the United States.
Henry Willis was 18 years old in 2023 when he bought a Glock G19 pistol “build kit” from Husky Armory’s website, according to a wrongful-death lawsuit filed by his family. He assembled the firearm in his garage, telling his father it was a transistor radio, and used it to end his life six days after receiving the kit, the lawsuit said.
The $104.2 million payout surpasses the $73 million settlement reached with the families of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims by the rifle-maker Remington, said Everytown Law, which represented the Willis family.
The trial focused on whether Husky Armory skirted federal regulations barring the sale of gun-assembly kits to buyers under 21.
Husky Armory has not yet indicated whether it will appeal the verdict.
If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988. There is also an online chat at 988lifeline.org. Helplines outside the U.S. can be found at www.iasp.info/suicidalthoughts.