Legal Community Against Gun Violence Honors Brandon Maxfield
Brandon Receives 2005 Distinguished Leadership Award
Oakland, CA - The Legal Community Against Gun Violence (LCAV) honored Brandon Maxfield with their 2005 Distinguished Leadership Award at the organization's 12th anniversary dinner last month.
"I look forward to a time when we can work on other important issues, a time when we won't have to talk about dangerous guns anymore," Maxfield told the crowd of more 700 that responded with a standing ovation.
Maxfield received the award for his courageous efforts to hold Bryco Arms accountable for their defective gun design. When he was seven years old, 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 Maxfield.
Maxfield attempted to purchase Bryco's gun-making equipment at a bankruptcy auction last August. He formed Brandon's Arms, a non-profit organization, which raised money to buy the assets to melt down the defective pistols and halt production. Maxfield was outbid by Paul Jimenez, former Bryco plant manager. Jimenez bought the company's assets for $510,000 and formed Jimenez Arms, which many allege is still controlled by Bryco's Bruce Jennings. Brandon's Arms had the first Jimenez Arms gun tested, resulting in the California Department of Justice ordering manufacture halted as an "unsafe firearm."
In addition to receiving the award, Senator Dianne Feinstein issued a proclamation honoring Maxfield, and Senator Barbara Boxer sent a certificate acknowledging his efforts. San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and California Attorney General Bill Lockyer posed for pictures with Maxfield and praised him in their comments.
Legal Community Against Violence is a public interest law center dedicated to preventing gun violence. Founded by lawyers, LCAV is the country's only organization devoted exclusively to providing legal assistance in support of gun violence prevention.
Brandon's Arms works to promote the public safety by reducing and eliminating injuries and deaths from the accidental or criminal use of firearms. Brandon is continuing his fight to obtain compensation from Bryco Arms and to keep defective junk guns and crime guns off the streets.
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