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 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.