Gun Reviewer James Reeves Subpoenaed in S&W Suit
Firearms reviewer and attorney James Reeves says he has been served with a subpoena in the lawsuit seeking to hold Smith & Wesson liable for the 2022 Highland Park parade shooting, a move that pulls independent gun media into the litigation and treats even unpaid reviews as corporate advertising.
Reeves disclosed the subpoena on X, writing, “I was just subpoenaed in an anti-gun lawsuit…for being a guntuber.” He says the demand seeks years of records and analytics tied to Smith & Wesson and the reviews he has produced.
What the Subpoena Reportedly Covers
The part likely to alarm firearm journalists and content creators is how the plaintiffs define advertising. According to Reeves, that definition includes “even unpaid organic social-media content.” Under that theory, an independent review of a lawful firearm could be treated as corporate advertising simply because the reviewer received, tested, or discussed the product.
Reeves says the requested material could reach nearly any YouTube video discussing the M&P15 during the relevant period, including content produced independently and without payment from Smith & Wesson.
“If a manufacturer sends a journalist or creator a product to independently test, that does not magically transform the resulting review into advertising,” Reeves wrote.
AmmoLand reviewed the First Amended Complaint and Reeves’s public statement but noted the subpoena itself was not among the documents examined, so its precise demands are being reported based on Reeves’s account.
The Underlying Case
The subpoena arises from Roberts v. Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc., No. 22-LA-00000487, pending in the Circuit Court for Illinois’s 19th Judicial Circuit in Lake County. Keely and Jason Roberts filed on behalf of themselves and their twin sons after attending the July 4, 2022, parade where Robert Crimo III fired 83 rounds from a rooftop, killing seven and injuring dozens.
The 78-page complaint, signed by attorneys from Everytown Law and several private firms, advances 11 counts and argues Smith & Wesson unfairly marketed the M&P15 to young men through military imagery and social-media influencers. According to the complaint, that marketing influenced Crimo’s decision to select the rifle for his attack. Those are allegations, not findings by the court.
Reeves characterizes the suit as another attempt to plead around the federal Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act.
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