Attorney General Tong Appeals Ghost Gun Court Decision

Press Releases

08/26/2026

Attorney General Tong Appeals Ghost Gun Court Decision

(Hartford, CT) - Attorney General William Tong today is appealing a state court decision that misconstrued and misapplied the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act to award no civil penalties in the state case against Florida-based ghost gun dealer Indie Guns.

On October 1, 2019, Connecticut banned the sale and receipt of unfinished frame and lower receiver gun components lacking serial numbers or unique identification, which are used to build ghost guns. In 2023, Attorney General Tong sued Indie Guns of Florida, Steel Fox Firearms of Florida, Hell Fire Armory of North Carolina, and AR Industries of Utah after each marketed illegal ghost guns online and sold and shipped illegal ghost guns to an undercover investigator from the Office of the Attorney General. Connecticut has since reached civil settlements with three of the four dealers recovering penalties totaling $885,000. Two of the dealers have ceased operations and a third has committed to putting in place strong controls and reporting to ensure ongoing compliance with Connecticut law.

Indie Guns mounted no defense in court and represented on social media that it sells ghost guns to anyone anywhere, in utter disregard of state laws. Its owner, Lawrence Destefano, is facing a 71-count indictment in New York for shipping firearms, ghost guns and firearm parts and accessories into New York. New York Attorney General Letitia James previously secured a $7.8 million judgment and court order against Destefano for illegal firearm sales in New York. Destefano is currently incarcerated at Riker's Island.

In Connecticut's case, the court found that Indie Guns offered unserialized, nearly-complete firearms for sale via its website, and that it sold and shipped at least one product directly to a Connecticut consumer without a background check. The court held that Indie Guns engaged in unfair and deceptive conduct in violation of CUTPA. However, the court found that the business did not conduct trade or commerce in Connecticut through the mere existence of its website, and found, contrary to existing CUTPA caselaw, that it lacked statutory authority to award a civil penalty.

"Ghost guns are an untraceable menace that exist for one reason-to evade law enforcement and registration. They are a threat to public safety and they are illegal in Connecticut. There is no question that Indie Guns marketed, sold and shipped illegal ghost guns into Connecticut, and that they knew what they were doing was wrong. We are confident in the law, and confident in our case, and we are going to aggressively pursue maximum penalties on appeal," said Attorney General Tong.

Assistant Attorneys General Rebecca Quinn, Katherine Hagmann-Borenstein, Addison Keilty, and Deputy Associate Attorney General Mike Wertheimer, head of the Consumer Protection Section are assisting the Attorney General in this matter.
Twitter: @AGWilliamTong Facebook: CT Attorney General

Media Contact:

Elizabeth Benton [email protected]

Consumer Inquiries:

860-808-5318 [email protected]

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