Gun Website Sued For Ties To 2011 Murder, Also Used In Wisconsin Spa Shooting

By Amy Cavanaugh in News on Dec 29, 2012 5:00PM

The Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against Armslist LLC, an online "firearms marketplace" that links buyers and sellers of firearms and ammunition.The lawsuit, filed December 12 in Chicago, contends that Armslist.com facilitated the illegal purchase of a gun that a man used to kill Jitka Vesel last year in an Oak Brook parking lot after stalking her. The suit, which was filed on behalf of Vesel's family, is the first lawsuit filed against a gun website for allegedly causing a shooting and seeks unspecified financial damages.

According to Jonathan Lowy, director of the Legal Action Project of the Brady Center, Armslist also facilitated the sale of the gun that Radcliffe Franklin Haughton used to kill three people and wound four at a Wisconsin spa in October.

The lawsuit, which the Illinois State Rifle Association called a "harassment suit," draws attention to "provisions in federal law that allow private sales of firearms over the Internet and at gun shows without background checks."

Via the Tribune:

As Internet use has escalated, gun control advocates said, more firearms are being sold over the Web to people who are not legally qualified to purchase them. Advocates cite such abuses as the reason major websites such as Amazon, Craigslist and eBay no longer allow gun sales through their sites.

Weapons sold over the Internet have been linked to illegal gun trafficking, sales to minors and the mass shootings at Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois universities, gun control advocates said.

Officials at Armslist could not be reached for comment. A disclaimer on their website urges visitors to comply with all laws and states, "Armslist does not become involved in transactions between parties."