State files lawsuit against ZK Guns in Columbia

The Missouri Attorney General’s Office has filed a lawsuit against a Columbia gun shop owner accused of ripping off his customers.

The petition against ZK Guns owner Zach Kean was filed Thursday afternoon.

This comes four months after ABC 17’s Jillian Fertig confronted Kean after customers claimed they were being ripped off.

Last month, Kean closed his doors without notice after being sued by his landlord for not paying rent.

The lawsuit says from at least 2010 to October of 2015, Kean accepted up front payments from consumers for firearms, ammunition and other firearms-related accessories.

It goes on to say some consumers never got their products delivered or a refund and could not get a hold of Kean because he often closed the store during business hours and did not respond to phone calls or emails.

In several cases where Kean offered a refund, he would swipe a customers credit or debit card, give them a receipt of the transaction, but the money was never credited back to the buyer’s accounts.

The petition also says Kean accepted firearms from people to sell at auctions with an agreement to share a percentage of the proceeds. But “the Defendants appear to have lost, sold, or taken firearms” that they agreed to sell for those owners without providing compensation.

The AG office accuses Kean of misrepresentation, deception and false promise.

Kean is ordered to pay restitution to the customers still out money. He is also ordered to pay court costs as well as a civil fine to the state.

Koster’s office is also seeking an injunction to keep Kean from selling firearms.

You can read the full lawsuit here.

ABC 17 News reached out the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) to check the status of Kean’s FFL license and how this lawsuit may affect it, but calls have not been returned yet.

If you would like to file a complaint, you can call the Consumer Protection Hotline at 1-800-392-8222 or fill out a complaint online.