Report: Louisville's River City Firearms one of the shops with most sales linked to crimes
A Louisville gun dealer ― which is the focus of a lawsuit by survivors and family members of the Old National Bank mass shooting ― was found to be one of the top 1,300 U.S. gun shops that sold the most firearms last year that were later used in crimes, according to a USA TODAY investigation.
River City Firearms, which sold the AR-15-style rifle used to kill five people on April 10 in downtown Louisville, is a federally licensed firearms dealer located at 2915 Preston Highway.
The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is responsible for tracing guns recovered by law enforcement used in crimes. The ATF gathers the make, model and serial number and sifts through records to find the chain from the manufacturer to distributor to retail sale.
But the ATF requires additional reporting through its "Demand 2 Program" from more than 1,300 firearms dealers nationwide.
Those on the ATF list must have had at least 25 guns traced to a crime in a year, and those guns must have been purchased in the past three years.
The list includes 21 firearms dealers licensed in Kentucky that are part of the Demand 2 Program list for 2023. Jefferson County licensees represent more than one-third of the state's list.
Bud's Guns in Lexington, which sold the rifle used in the Highland Park 4th of July shooting that killed seven and injured 30 others in Illinois, also made the list.
The other shops listed from Jefferson County are: Ecc Guns Inc.; Fcfs Ky Inc.; Gunz Inc.; Louisville Operations LLC; Ops Supply Inc.; and two Sturon Corporation locations.
What we know about River City Firearms
The gun shop has been a federally licensed firearms dealer in Kentucky since at least 2014, according to listings on the ATF's website.
Derrick Meyers incorporated River City Firearms off Preston Highway in 2015. The store is still owned by Meyers, according to Kentucky Secretary of State records.
Meyers is also listed in Secretary of State records as the registering agent for River City Firearms of Mount Washington, as of October 2023.
The shop sells guns, accessories and ammunition. The ATF inspected River City Firearms in 2017, which showed nine ATF inspection violations, resulting in a warning letter from the bureau.
Old National Bank lawsuit
Four survivors and families of two killed during the shooting at Old National Bank filed a lawsuit against River City Firearms in Jefferson County on Jan. 23.
The lawsuit claims River City Firearms overlooked "red flags" when selling the rifle used in the shooting.
"My husband just went to work on April 10th – if it can happen to him and the countless others involved in mass shootings ... it can happen to you or your loved ones, too," Karen Tutt, the wife of Old National bank shooting victim Jim Tutt, said during a Jan. 24 press conference regarding the lawsuit.
The complaint alleges "red flags were present in spades" when River City Firearms sold the AR-15 style weapon to the eventual gunmen, citing his suspicious behavior and lack of basic firearms knowledge.
The complaint also alleges that while River City failed to stop the transaction, it also used it to "embolden the novice shooter and made him more deadly" by selling three additional 30-round magazines, a red-dot sight to increase accuracy and a vertical grip that allows greater control of the weapon.
The Courier Journal attempted to contact River City Firearms for comment following the lawsuit's filing, and again on Thursday following the USA TODAY story's publication, but has not received a response. A representative answering the phone at Bud's Guns said no one was available to comment on the story.
Stephanie Kuzydym can be reached at skuzydym@courier-journal.com. Follow her on Twitter at @stephkuzy.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: River City Firearms on ATF list for most sales linked to crimes
