Injuries Caused by Improper Gun Modifications

When an “Upgrade” Becomes a Safety Risk

Tweaking a firearm can feel harmless—lighter trigger, new slide, a part you found online. Then it misfires, double-taps, or flat-out explodes. In a blink, you’re facing surgery, bills, and questions that shouldn’t exist. 

Our personal injury attorneys at Horn Wright, LLP, dig into the modification itself—what changed, who sold it, who installed it, and why it failed. We handle these cases across New York, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine, so you’re covered wherever the parts were bought, the work was done, or the injury happened.

You’ll get straight answers and a plan that fits your life. We move fast to protect evidence, line up independent experts, and keep you in the loop, so every decision feels doable, not overwhelming.

We prove what went wrong and hold the right people accountable.

What Went Wrong With the “Upgrade”

Every change alters how a firearm behaves. Some changes are safe, tested, and documented. Others push the platform past its limits and turn routine handling into real risk.

You shouldn’t have to guess which one you got. When timing, lockup, or trigger geometry shifts even slightly, the safety margin you were counting on can disappear without warning. Small tolerances add up to big consequences, and the first clue is too often a blast you didn’t intend.

In our cases, the “why” usually lives in the details—improper fitment, ignored torque specs, mismatched parts, or a part marketed as “drop-in” that never truly was. Our New York attorneys make those details crystal clear.

Risky Modifications That Cause Injury

A quick overview helps you spot the usual suspects before they put you in harm’s way.

• Feathered or shortened triggers – Tiny pull weights and minimal travel can spike the chance of an unintentional discharge. It may feel crisp at a bench, but under stress it can fire before you’re ready.
• Homemade or illegal conversions – DIY full-auto hacks, switches, or binary systems create violent cycling and unreliable sear engagement. That’s a recipe for jams, runaway fire, and catastrophic parts failure.
• Mismatched barrels, slides, or recoil assemblies – Mixing brands or specs throws timing and lockup out of sync. That’s how you get out-of-battery ignition, bulged cases, and blown chambers.
• Unvetted accessories – Off-brand comps, suppressors, or optic plates installed without proper torque or thread fit can redirect pressure where it doesn’t belong—often back toward you.

Who Can Be Held Responsible

Liability doesn’t always stop with the person holding the gun. Here’s where claims often land.

• Owner or hobbyist who performed the work – If someone altered the gun without understanding the mechanics and later handed it to you, their liability can travel with the firearm.
• Dealer or online seller – Shops that promote or install unsafe parts, skip disclosures, or ignore obvious red flags can be civilly liable for the harm that follows.
• Gunsmith – Professionals owe standards-based work. Sloppy fitting, missed inspections, or undocumented changes support negligence claims.
• Part manufacturer – Cheap or misrepresented components that fail under normal use open the door to product-liability claims against the maker and its distributors.

How We Prove the Modification Caused the Injury

Strong cases are built on speed, testing, and a clean paper trail. Here’s the playbook.

• Immediate preservation – We secure the firearm, spent casings, and every altered part. No “cleanups,” no surprise fixes. Evidence stays exactly as it failed.
• Independent testing – Firearms engineers and metallurgists replicate conditions, measure trigger weights, inspect sear geometry, and run controlled drop and function tests.
• Supply-chain documentation – Invoices, order histories, install notes, and messages tell the story of what was bought, what was changed, and who said it was “safe.”
• Compliance review – We compare the work against industry standards and applicable law. Missing warnings and ignored torque specs aren’t small details—they’re proof.

The Injuries You Might Be Facing

Improper modifications often produce close-range, high-energy failures. The results are life-changing.

• Hand and wrist destruction – Chamber ruptures crush bones and tear ligaments, leading to hardware, rehab, and reduced grip strength that changes how you work and live.
• Face and eye trauma – Broken slides and sheared lugs send metal forward and back. Vision loss and scarring are common and permanently life-altering.
• Hearing damage and burns – Misdirected blast and gas leave tinnitus, partial deafness, and powder burns that don’t just hurt—they linger.
• Fatal discharges – Unintended fire at close distance too often ends a life. Families deserve answers, accountability, and resources for the years ahead.

Laws That Matter in Modification Cases

Federal law sets the baseline. The Gun Control Act (18 U.S.C. Section 922) and National Firearms Act (26 U.S.C. Section 5845) classify many conversions and auto-rate devices as illegal, and those violations can function as powerful evidence in civil negligence claims. 

States add their own layers, too, and that matters when parts, installation, and injury span multiple jurisdictions. In New York, Penal Law Section 265 targets unlawful devices and dangerous alterations; New Jersey, Vermont, Maine, and New Hampshire apply negligence and product-defect principles to unsafe work and unsafe parts. 

We match the facts of your case to the strongest venue and the clearest legal pathway so your claim starts on solid ground.

If a modification made the firearm unsafe and that defect injured you, the law gives you a route to compensation—criminal statutes, civil standards, and industry rules can all work together to prove it.

What Full Compensation Should Cover

A quick checklist helps you see the full picture of what your claim should include, not just the first hospital bill.

• Medical care for the long haul – Surgeries, revision procedures, therapy, prosthetics, and future treatments your insurer would rather ignore.
• Lost income and earning capacity – Paychecks missed now and careers reshaped later. We model the next decade, not just the next month.
• Pain, suffering, and PTSD – Sleep, trust, and daily routines took a hit. The law recognizes those losses, and your claim should too.
• Wrongful-death damages – Funeral costs, loss of companionship, and the financial future a family was counting on.

How Horn Wright, LLP, Builds Pressure

We combine forensic testing with subpoena power and seasoned experts. 

Dealers start producing footage. Sellers hand over message logs. Gunsmiths explain their torque specs on the record. When the facts are this clear, insurers change their tune, and juries see the truth without guesswork.

Our legal team keeps momentum on your side. We schedule expert exams quickly, move discovery forward, and translate the technical details into plain, persuasive language, so you always know what’s happening and why it matters.

You’re never in the dark. From day one, we outline next steps, timelines, and likely outcomes so decisions feel human and manageable, not like another fight you didn’t ask for.

Bring the Case Back to Where It Started

This all began with an “upgrade” that promised control and delivered chaos. 

Your case brings it full circle: identify the unsafe modification, hold the right people accountable, and secure the resources you need to rebuild. That’s the through-line, —from the workbench to the injury to the courtroom, and it’s how we tie proof to recovery, start to finish.

Our firearm accident attorneys at Horn Wright, LLP, handle these claims so every piece of your story—purchase, install, injury—has a home in court. If you’re ready for answers and a plan that actually fits your life, call (855) 465-4622 or reach out online.

You deserve a firearm that behaves and a future that isn’t chained to someone else’s reckless “upgrade.” We’ll help you get there.