Jimenez Arms' Junk Gun Fails California Safety-Tests
State Bans Manufacture and Sale of Jimenez Arms Gun; Removes JA-9 Model from Approved List
San Rafael, CA - The California Department of Justice announced late last week that it has banned the manufacture and sale of the Jimenez Arms JA-9 pistol, the first pistol offered by Jimenez Arms. The decision came after two independent testing labs retained by Brandon’s Arms determined that the pistol is an “unsafe handgun” under California Law. The Department of Justice has removed the pistol from the approved list, and ordered an official retesting.
California law requires any concealable handgun manufactured or sold in the state to first pass a minimal test to establish that it is not an “unsafe handgun.” When the Jimenez Arms JA-9 was added to the approved list, Brandon’s Arms discovered that it had been tested by the same one of five certified labs that had approved the Bryco guns, and that the test guns had been modified.
Brandon’s Arms retained two of California’s other certified labs to obtain “off-the-shelf” pistols and perform retesting. With test pistols purchased from Jimenez Arms’s sole distributor, Shining Star Investments, these independent labs reported experiencing extreme failures, including parts falling off the pistols, magazines dropping out, failures to feed, misfires, slide release malfunctions, etc. Four of the six guns tested were unable to even complete the testing.
“These tests are far from ideal – for example, they only require the pistol to HAVE a manual safety, whether or not it can be left on,“ Maxfield says. “Still they are all we have to identify and stop unsafe handguns before they reach the streets.”
Brandon Maxfield was accidentally shot in the face by a defective Bryco “Saturday Night Special.” As a result, he is permanently paralyzed below the neck. In Maxfield v. Bryco, a unanimous jury found Bryco Arms responsible for its defective design and for Brandon’s injuries and medical expenses. Bryco declared bankruptcy and has yet to compensate Brandon.
The state’s decision reinforces the warning of a flyer recently created and distributed by Brandon’s Arms to more than 61,000 Federal Licensed Firearms Dealers. The flyer warns retailers to think twice before selling junk guns, noting that they face the same liabilities for defective guns they sell as do the companies that manufacturer them.
Jimenez Arms and its sole distributor, Shining Star Investments, are owned by the former plant manager and owner of Bryco Arms, respectively. The Jimenez JA-9 pistols include the same safety defect as the Brycos – a manual safety that must be set to “fire” before the gun can be unloaded. Bryco’s design was adopted to hide a jamming problem.
Brandon’s Arms has established a database of junk gun defects, accidents, and accidental discharges. This information and all information related to the trial which found Bryco guns defective will be available to assist attorneys in suits against junk gun manufacturers. A form to report gun incidents can be found at brandonsarms.org.
Brandon's Arms was founded to promote the public safety, with specific emphasis on proactive charitable measures to reduce and eliminate injuries and deaths from the accidental or criminal use of firearms.
For more information, contact or phone at 202-518-8047.
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