17-year-old Brandon Maxfield’s final bid of $505,000 to buy Bryco Arms, lost out in a bidding war against Bryco Plant Manager, Paul Jimenez, who purchased the company for $510,000. The bidding started $175,000 and increased by increments of $5,000.

Maxfield was just seven when his babysitter thought he heard a strange noise and grabbed the Bryco Model 30 .380 Caliber handgun from a dresser drawer. The babysitter consulted with Maxfield’s mother by phone who instructed him to unload the gun. It was while attempting to unload that the babysitter inadvertently discharged the gun and fired a bullet into Maxfield’s chin, leaving him paralyzed.

In May 2003, a California jury found several parties partially liable. They included his parents, for keeping a loaded gun in the house, the babysitter, the gun’s distributor, and the manufacturer, Bryco Arms.

The jury awarded Maxfield a 24 million dollar judgment against Bryco Arms after finding that they knowingly and deliberately designed the gun with a safety flaw. The gun requires that the safety be in the “off” position, and thus the gun in “fire” mode” to unload the gun. This feature, they found, makes accidents more likely.

In response to the verdict, Bruce Jennings, owner of Bryco Arms, filed for Bankruptcy to avoid liability and paying off the judgment, and made plans to sell Bryco Arms and all equipment to Plant manager Jimenez for $150,000. Jimenez filed plans to re-open the plant under a new name, and intended sell the same defective guns.

Upon hearing of this, Maxfield and his lawyer, Richard Ruggieri, formed the non-profit “Brandon’s Arms” to raise money to buy the company. The money was raised primarily through an internet campaign and a few substantial donors. They had intended to shut the plant down and hand over 75,000 unassembled guns to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives or melt them down to create a sculpture.

Although hurt by the loss, Maxfield and Ruggieri continue to keep their spirits up. Ruggieri told the LA Times, “We knew going in that at the very least we would force them to pay a realistic price rather than the artificially low price that was set.”

Maxfield doesn’t appear to be slowing down either. On his website he said, “Please know that while I am heartbroken that we didn’t keep those guns off the streets, I will continue to face battles everyday and continue to win.”

Bryco Arms is one of six manufacturers in Southern California that make up what has been deemed the “Ring of Fire.” These companies are famous for producing the majority of “Saturday Night Specials,” a term used to describe cheap, poorly-made handguns. These handguns are small, inexpensive, and in most cases sell for less than $100. In comparison, a name brand handgun retails for at least $500. A large majority of the “Ring of Fire” companies are owned by Jennings, his relatives, or his associates.

As for Jimenez, he has until this Thursday to come up with the money. Chances are the plant will somehow find its way back into the hands of Bruce Jennings. In a 1999 interview with Business Week, Jennings explained how gun companies dealt with lawsuits. “They can file for bankruptcy, dissolve, go away until the litigation passes by, then reform and build guns to the new standard - if there is a new standard”