Attorney General Davenport Selects Philip Bangle to Lead SAFE

– Jennifer Davenport, Attorney General

Bangle was most recently the Senior Director of Affirmative Litigation at the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, where he managed impact-driven litigation against firearms manufacturers and dealers on behalf of victims of mass shootings, municipalities, and states.

Key details

He served first as a Deputy Attorney General in the Delaware Department of Justice, where he fought vice crime with statewide civil enforcement lawsuits such as civil RICO and public nuisance actions.

Later, he served as an Assistant Attorney General in the Medicaid Fraud & Integrity Division of the Tennessee Office of the Attorney General, where he investigated and litigated healthcare fraud, primarily False Claims Act lawsuits.

Bangle received his B.A., cum laude, from Hampden-Sydney College; an M.A. from Fordham University; and his J.D., cum laude, from Tulane Law School.

SAFE is authorized by the Attorney General to bring lawsuits against gun industry members that violate N.J.S.A.

2C:58-35 by contributing to a public nuisance in New Jersey through unlawful or unreasonable conduct, or by failing maintain reasonable controls relating to the sale, manufacturing, distribution, importing, or marketing of gun-related products.

Background and context

“We are also deeply grateful to Jeremy Ershow for his service as Acting Director, and for all he has done to build the SAFE office since its inception in 2022.”

Most recently, in August 2025, he secured the largest jury verdict in a contested case against a gun company in history, when a jury awarded the City of Baltimore $62 million from Hanover Armory, a firearms retailer that had flooded the city with ghost guns.

“I have admired SAFE’s work since its creation, and I am grateful and honored to be chosen by Attorney General Davenport for this position,” said Bangle.

Prior to his time at Brady, Bangle spent two decades working in state attorney general offices.

Since its establishment in 2022, SAFE has filed complaints against corporations like Sig Sauer and Glock, as well as ghost-gun sellers and firearms retailers that have violated New Jersey law.

What officials said

Phil Bangle is an extremely talented public-interest advocate with a strong track record of holding corporate defendants accountable when they harm the community,” said Attorney General Davenport.

I look forward to working with the SAFE team and the rest of the Department to continue New Jersey’s vital efforts to reduce gun violence in the State.