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BY JOSH DAVISNorth Country This Week

GOUVERNEUR— A Gouverneur gun shop is being sued by New York State for endangering public safety by allegedly lacking safety measures that led to it being burglarized twice. 

Bowman’s Gun Shop and owner Timothy Bowman are named in a lawsuit  brought by State Attorney General Letitia James, which primarily alleges that lax security measures at the shop put the public in danger by allowing weapons to enter the illegal marketplace and be used in the commission of crimes. 

The introduction of the lawsuit also states that the gun shop has “engaged in sales practices that violate state safety requirements,” and allegedly did not adjust those practices to fall in line with state standards after two burglaries in Sept. 2019 and Sept. 2020. 

The suit also states that Bowman has failed to prevent the illegal diversion of firearms by lacking knowledge of the indicators that suggest a buyer is engaged in a straw purchase on behalf of another person. 

Unsafe storage of guns and ammunition are also central to the lawsuit, with Bowman allegedly storing guns “in an unsafe manner that has facilitated theft” and not as proscribed by state law.

The shop also allegedly failed to meet a state requirement that requires ammunition be stored out of reach of customers, and lacks a required security plan related to the storage of firearms. 

The suit also alleges that “until recently,” Bowman had engaged in “a pattern of neglecting to arm the security system” at his gun shop. 

The lawsuit argues that Bowman’s lack of security has contributed to crime elsewhere. 

“The consequences of Bowman’s Gun Shop’s noncompliant sales and storage practices have been felt in communities far away from Gouverneur,” the suit states. A total of 58 guns were stolen in the two separate burglaries, which took place in Sept. 2019 and Sept. 2020. 

In 2019, soldiers from Fort Drum broke into Bowman’s gun shop and stole two shotguns, three rifles, two pistols, and ammunition, in addition to cash and a BB gun, gaining entry by forcing open a locked door. 

According to the suit, “Bowman’s did not change course to take necessary measures to safeguard the store,” and was burglarized again a year later by a different group of Fort Drum soldiers. Those alleged burglars stole 28 pistols, 12 revolvers, nine rifles, and two shotguns, and gained access to the shop through a window left ajar to accommodate an air conditioner hose. Guns from the second burglary were reportedly recovered by authorities in New York City, Philadelphia, and the Caribbean country of Barbados.

New York State passed laws in 2021 and 2022 that require firearms dealers to create a security plan for storage of firearms and to take particular measures to prevent theft and diversion of guns and ammunition, and prohibit members of the gun industry from creating or contributing to a condition that endangers public safety. 

The suit states that gun store owners play an important role in preventing gun trafficking, and that most guns used in crimes originate in the lawful market. It alleges that one of the main ways guns end up being used in crime is through gun store burglaries like the ones committed at Bowman’s. In the period between 2017 and 2021, 301 guns were stolen in 39 instances of theft from federally-licensed firearms dealers in New York, the suit states. 

“Mr. Bowman has admitted that he neglected to arm the (security) system three quarters of the time.”

Additionally, an October 2023 inspection of Bowman’s by New York State Police concluded that the business failed to meet some state requirements surrounding the sale of firearms. 

“The business does not train its employees in recognizing straw purchasers and frequently allows non-employees to make sales and run background checks. 

“Bowman’s has had years to come into compliance” and “despite two burglaries that put communities near and far at risk, Bowman’s failed and refuses to do so.”

Bowman did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

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