Largest Ever Verdict Dealt Against Gun Dealer Rendered for the City of Baltimore
Jury awards City of Baltimore $62 million dollars in damages after nearby gun dealer Hanover Armory flooded the City with deadly ghost guns
BALTIMORE, MD (August 27, 2025) – The trial against Maryland’s largest ghost gun dealer concluded tonight in the Circuit Court for Baltimore City, with a jury verdict in favor of plaintiffs for $62 million. This is the largest ever verdict a gun dealer defendant has been dealt in American history.
The plaintiffs – Baltimore’s Mayor and City Council – alleged that firearm retailer Hanover Armory flooded the city with ghost guns that increased violent crime and posed a potent threat to Baltimore residents’ health and safety. Ghost guns are un-serialized, untraceable firearms often sold as kits without ID checks or background checks. The City sought an award from Hanover Armory, which the jury determined amounted to $62 million.
“Baltimore has lost generations of friends, neighbors, and loved ones to gun violence. Together, we are saying enough is enough. 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,” said Baltimore Mayor Brandon M. Scott. “To be clear: there are legitimate businesses that sell firearms legally and respect safeguards designed to keep people safe. Hanover is not one of them. Irresponsible companies like this one, that ignore the law in pursuit of profit, have no business operating in Baltimore—or anywhere, for that matter. We are making it clear: anyone—any company—who enables violence in our city will be held accountable.”
The $62 million verdict, once obtained, will flow into an abatement fund managed by the City of Baltimore that will be distributed to three community violence intervention groups.
“Let this be a neon bright sign to gun dealers like Hanover Armory in Maryland and around the country: if you flood nearby communities with ghost guns or other firearms intended for crime and homicide, you will be held accountable,” said Brady President Kris Brown. “I applaud the jury for their remarkable public service in rendering a verdict that only begins to heal the wounds on Baltimore wrought by ghost guns. The City of Baltimore is better off tonight, and the funds awarded by the jury will help the Mayor and City in their ongoing partnerships with community violence intervention groups to decrease crime and save lives. And America is better off with unscrupulous gun dealers like Hanover Armory held responsible for the damage and death they inflict on our neighborhoods.”
According to the complaint in this case and illustrated in trial, 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.
"We are proud to have represented the City of Baltimore in holding Hanover Armory accountable for flooding the city of Baltimore with dangerous, untraceable ghost guns. This verdict affirms that companies cannot turn a blind eye to the devastating consequences of their products. The City took this case to protect its citizens, and today’s decision is a critical step toward making Baltimore safer," said Saba Bireda, partner, Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight, counsel to Baltimore City.
“Today is a historic day. It is a good day. Today, we held Hanover Armory accountable and we made the City of Baltimore a safer place. It has been an honor to represent the City to do this critical work, and I am so grateful to the jury for their decision,” said James Hannaway, Associate at Berger Montague.
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