From the NSSF . . .
As part of an ongoing national effort to help prevent illegal “straw” purchases of firearms, NSSF, The Firearm Industry Trade Association, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) are reminding the Greater Phoenix area public that stiff penalties are in place for individuals convicted of such unlawful purchases. The campaign is in its 22nd year and is a cornerstone of the cooperative relationship between members of the firearm industry and law enforcement.
Billboard, radio, social media, streaming audio and digital advertisements for the “Don’t Lie for the Other Guy” program have been purchased by NSSF in key locations throughout the region with the message: “Buy a gun for someone who can’t and buy yourself 15 years in jail. Don’t Lie for the Other Guy.” The month-long public awareness campaign was officially launched today.
The Phoenix area “Don’t Lie” campaign will total more than 44 million gross media impressions, including more than 57 outdoor billboards, digital bulletin boards and posters. There are also more than 460 radio spots playing and 520,000 digital streaming radio service impressions. On social media, “Don’t Lie” advertisements total more than 2 million targeted geofenced online mobile advertisements on Facebook and Instagram impressions. Phoenix was chosen for this special campaign by ATF. No taxpayer dollars are used. The program is funded in full by the firearm industry.
“The firearm industry has always been fully committed to keeping firearms out of the hands of those who should not possess them. We are proud of our more than two-decade cooperative relationship with the ATF, the DOJ and the entire law enforcement community to assist them in their collective efforts to reduce criminal acquisition and misuse of firearms. We’re pleased to work with our partners at DOJ and ATF to launch this “Don’t Lie” campaign in Phoenix this September,” said NSSF President and CEO Joe Bartozzi.
“Don’t Lie” is a cooperative program between ATF, DOJ and NSSF, the trade association for the firearm industry. The effort was developed more than two decades ago to raise public awareness about the seriousness of the crime of purchasing a firearm for someone who cannot legally do so. The program also helps ATF educate firearm retailers to be better prepared to detect and deter potential illegal straw purchases. The public campaign drives home the message that anyone making an illegal firearm purchase faces a stiff federal felony penalty of up to 15 years in prison and up to $250,000 in fines, as well as an additional 15 years in prison if the straw purchase is made with the intent of trafficking across state lines.
To legally purchase a firearm at retail, a person must be able to pass an FBI National Instant Criminal Background Check System background check, or NICS check, and fully comply with all state and local laws. When a criminal is illegally trafficking in firearms or knows he or she cannot pass this check, they may try to induce a friend or other person to make the purchase on their behalf. This is known as a straw purchase and is a felony.
This public awareness campaign constitutes only part of the “Don’t Lie for the Other Guy” outreach effort. The “Don’t Lie for the Other Guy” program also involves educating firearm retailers to better detect and prevent illegal straw purchases. Federal firearms licensees are provided a “Don’t Lie for the Other Guy” retailer kit containing a training video and information for storeowners and staff, as well as point-of-purchase displays aimed to deter illegal straw purchases.
Learn more about “Don’t Lie for the Other Guy” at www.dontlie.org.
All this recent news blitz about NSSF and working with the Agencies to stop straw purchases. I’m curious to know just how big a problem such purchases are, in specific terms of people passing NICS while knowingly buying for those who cannot pass.
I’m skeptical it is a serious problem and that NSSF isn’t doing this for other reasons just to make itself look good.
After the past several years, my faith in anyone in charge of anything for behaving appropriately has plummeted.
HAZ Yeah it’s a problem especially in Criraq & NW Indiana. Baby mama’s & “clean” gangbangers buy gats for their compatriots. Saw it happen at Cabelas. Saw attempts made at Westforth in rural Gary,In. Does that make Lori Lightbrain “right”? Not really because I’ve seen more than one homie get rejected on a NICS. As in Chucks Guns in Riverdale,ILL the clientele is majorly black. They were jerks when I bought my 1st gat from them. Down to the second of a 72hr wait. I echo your sentiment spending a lotta bucks on this “campaign”…
So says pack of lying POS progs? Yeah rely on that.
So I am in my LGS (actually the one pictured) and at the counter is a young , pretty black girl wanting to see a Glock. She is handed one and you could tell immediately she knew nothing about firearms. I don’t think she even knew which end the bullet came out of. Looking rather flustered she wait, I’ll be right back. She comes back in with two of the thuggiest looking, braided up, pants to their knees, bandana wearing creeps you would never want to see. I pulled the sales guy aside and said “you aren’t going to sell her a gun I hope”. He said no, he was red flagging it. So it has happened right in front of me.
“He said no, he was red flagging it. So it has happened right in front of me.“
So both you and the gun store would ban the sale of a gun to someone because of their looks?
Fascinating.
And you see, you accidentally hit the nail on the head about why straw purchases will never be stopped. I am sure that being a gun shop owner is a great way to get people to cry “racism” at you.
Then again, maybe not because if it was made public I wouldn’t be surprised if in many cases there would be LEOs interested in the people setting foot into a gun shop anyways……
If it quacks like a duck; if it waddles like a duck, if it has colored feathers like a duck….it probably is a duck. Combat Hunter Program….”Left of Bang” by Patrick Van Horne and Jason A. Riley…….with three confirming indicators….ACT!!! Trust your gut….”The Gift of Fear” by Gavin De Becker. PROFILING WORKS!!!! If one doesn’t like the way they are profiled…..change your damn brand, you built it!!!!
“So both you and the gun store would ban the sale of a gun to someone because of their looks?
Fascinating.”
For you, I bet.
When the ‘look’ encompasses a scent of sweet smoke and bloodshot eyes, I have refused a sale.
Walk into a gunshop stoned, don’t expect to buy a gun…
Gun stores can deny a sale to anyone they choose to based on just about any criteria. Or none at all. They’re the only retail stores that can do that. So, yes, they can deny a gun sale based on how you look. Or smell! If you come into a gun store smelling like marijuana you will be denied.
The gun store owner has the prerogative to deny a sale to anyone he or she wants. And reasonable suspicion that a straw purchase is being sought is definitely cause for a denial.
Oops – Texican beat me to it.
it’s a very big problem for urban areas…but, absent some publicized prosecutions…I doubt it will have the desired effect…worth a try though….
“absent some publicized prosecutions…“
Well, they didn’t prosecute Dominick black or Kyle Rittenhouse for their strawman purchase, but of course they weren’t ‘inner-city inhabitants’ so they got a pass.
Straw purchases must necessarily be some part of the leakage of guns from the “white” market to the “black” market. Whether that part is large or small makes no difference.
The leakage from the white- to black-market is akin to a sieve. Plug up one hole and the remaining holes will take up the slack. Therefore, just about everything we might try to do will be mostly ineffective. Only if we made an earnest effort to plug all the holes could we hope to accomplish a meaningful change in the magnitude of leakage.
Since we can do nearly nothing about smuggling or clandestine manufacturing, the whole enterprise is futile whether aimed at particular targets or all targets combined.
Nevertheless, it is important that we, the constituents of the gun industry, be seen to be doing something affirmative. NSSF’s Don’t Buy For The Other Guy is burnishing the reputation of the FFL segment. If they feel it’s useful to their members, who are we to tell them how to spend their money.
The rest of us might follow suite. By way of illustration, we might develop a campaign directed at posting signs at cooperating ranges. Maybe “Don’t Sell to Strangers”. If we want to stave-off “Universal” Background Checks it might behoove us to show that we are fostering a “gun culture” that disparages selling to buyers who we don’t know to be upstanding citizens.
The most we can do – as a practice matter – is harp on the fact that our Criminal Justice System is at best hap-hazard about enforcing Felon-in-Possession laws. Nothing is going to change on this front; so the objective is not to achieve change. Instead, the goal should be to educate the public that the only useful thing that might be done is not being done. Out of Political-Correctness. We won’t further crowd our prisons with gun-felons.
America has two choices:
– lock-up gun felons at a rate that will discourage violent crime with gun; or,
– shoot back.
“America has two choices:
– lock-up gun felons at a rate that will discourage violent crime with gun; or,
– shoot back.”
replace “or” with “and” and the problem will sort itself out.
perhaps private sellers should have direct access to the background check system?….it’s usually done pretty quickly these days via computer….
The Democrats firmly opposed that — they want everything to be under government control.
“it might behoove us to show that we are fostering a “gun culture” that disparages selling to buyers who we don’t know to be upstanding citizens“
Correct!
I can only dream of a day when the Civilian Disarmament Industrial Complex will join with the NSSF and others to bring about good for POTG.
What I don’t get about keeping firearms from unknown persons is how is it that i, an American born citizen, has to show a state photo identification to purchase but someone that can’t even speak English can with just a utility bill???
Seen it happen more than once and have had others tell me the same. Have asked store workers “how does that happen” after seeing a transaction like mentioned above and was told “it’s the law”. ???
someone comes in with naught but a utility bill, and can hardly croak out ten words of comprehensible english, they are NOT US Citizens, and thus, as a class, are prohibited the purchase of arms. WHY is this not held up as “the law”?
SOmething here ain’t adding up straight.
That’s what I don’t understand.
“..they are NOT US Citizens, and thus, as a class, are prohibited the purchase of arms.”
This is just not true.
A very simple check with your favorite Web checker (Google or whatever) will show this.
“i, an American born citizen, has to show a state photo identification to purchase but someone that can’t even speak English can with just a utility bill???“
Amazing, you’ve just got to tell us more about what you claim to have witnessed.
Of course, in the gun show parking lot or the flea market one does not need even a utility bill, just cash.
Personally I don’t think it’s right to do, I’ve even mentioned that to the guy behind the counter after selling a pistol to a guy with no ID and just a water bill. All he said was “It’s the law”. My uncle has also told me that he has seen this happen.
They do in Ca. Many states will not allow a handgun to be sold in this manner. But if that you female comes in wanting to buy a handgun and brings someone with her, who is just “helping her”, that does not mean she is buying it for him, maybe she wants protection from some POS that has tried to do the dirty with her. You can’t judge a book by it’s cover.
Is Phoenix a hot bed for straw purchases? If so, why? Seriously asking.
I don’t think that’s the whole picture. People move and do not get their new address updated new driver’s license and showing a current utility bill, vehicle registration, property tax statement with their name and current address allows the transaction to occur with an otherwise valid legal form of Identification that is required and accepted. If you’re military and stationed in a different state other than your driver’s license says your address is you can produce a copy of your orders and purchase legally and or if you are a permanent resident alien, or lawfully here on a visa with a local hunting license, you can purchase legally as well producing the hunting license with local lawful identification. A lot of complex steps to go through.
Never mind baby mamas, chiraq and other bigoted backdoor finger pointing…Rest assured you place a firearm in the hands of anyone who criminally misuses it and when the day comes that individual sings there will be a knock on your front door, time to get yourself a lawyer.
Sure princess. My gorgeous brown wife doesn’t think I’m a bigot. Just you and your incessant “Jim Crow” cackling. Give it a rest gal. Chit happens…duh.
Read your post(s) slowly. You’re a backdoor beat around the bush bigot, you know it and I know it. Man up, you own those words so either stfu or go talk face to face with those baby mamas…good luck with that. And furthermore, if you want to debunk my posts you’ll need to rewrite history to do it.
So you think I should respect baby momma’s & gangbangers? Do you even know any black folks? Do you realize your supporting Turkish gats(to save a buck) is extremely offensive to a helluva lot of us? Probably not clueless gal…have a happy 9-11.
Pay attention…I said you should either stfu or speak to the baby mamas eye to eye…I have no doubt you’ll be on your best respectful behavior. Furthermore…The only people who get irritated seeing my mention of Jim Crow are democRats, bigots and politically inept history illiterates. In your case it’s being a bigot whose mind is hair triggered to target Blacks in Chicago. And if that is not bad enough later targets firearms manufactured in Turkey by people who have Zero control over their government like you have zero control over joe. I recall the other day you made mention of purchasing or considering a firearm or “gat” from Turkey. What pray tell are you going to tell your sensitive friends?
I just re-read her post, then yours, twice each.
WHERE are the words of “bigotry” and “Jin Crow”? I can’t find them.
The term “baby mamas” is not race or colour specific. Some folks can look in their neighbour’s front yard, see some rocks, and find “racism” in them.
Take a ticket and sit down tionico.
straw purchasing is quite common among blacks…many of whom have disqualifying events in their past…just the reality….
That’s Debbie for ya…you’d be shocked how “upstanding” black folks are tired of the plantation denizens who vote D en mass. Or at least 90%. Raciss to Debbie. Pimping for the sultanate isn’t a good luck either…
only if you’re aware of their intent….or status…..
So explain to me why they’re calling it a straw purchase when one lawful person, who is legal and able to buy a firearm for a family member, ant that family member goes and picks up the firearm and passes a background check is now classified as a “Straw Purchase”? Both are legal and lawful persons but arrests and convictions have been made by ATF including a police officer who purchased a firearm online and had it shipped and delivered to another dealer in another state as a birthday present for his father, both lawful and allowed to purchase firearms but the officer was charged with making a “Straw Purchase”. Yet if you went into the gun store, purchased it yourself and walked outside and gifted it to your father, both legal parties that is not illegal, only if they did it inside the business. Heavy handed abuse by ATF under Biden.
The transaction you described is NOT a “straw purchse” under Federal law. That law prohibits buying with the intent to then transfer, by any means other than an FFL, a firearm to any individual who CANNOT LEGALLY PURCHASE that weapon. SInce the copper’s Dad went to the FFL to which the gun was shipped, and passed the BGC, the purchase was legal in every way. He could even have bought it had it shipped to his FFL locally, gone in and completed the pruchase with NICS, then gone to visit his Dad and handed it him.
Close relative transfers are exempt BCG in almost every state.
He should have fought that case and beaten it. NOT a “straw purchase” by any stretch.
Tionico,
While your sentiment and statement are rational and defensible, your statement is nevertheless incorrect and commenter Darrell Murray’s statement is correct.
The federal legal definition of a straw purchase is when Sally tells Harry to purchase a firearm for her AND Sally provides the money for the firearm purchase. That is it. Nothing more and nothing less.
It does not matter if either or both of them can and/or do pass a federal background check. It does not matter where/how Harry transfers the firearm to Sally (whether in person or through a Federal Firearms Licensee).
Note: I am NOT defending the federal law–I am merely explaining it.
Note: I am NOT an attorney and the above commentary is NOT legal advice. Consult a competent attorney for legal advice before asking someone to acquire a firearm for you.
If Sally was doing Harry right, she wouldn’t have to give him any money.
The Virginia Police officer did fight the arrest and charges, however, a Federal Magistrate found him guilty of violating the law and conducting a straw purchase. Biden’s new ATF. Something to to with him paying for it and not being the person receiving the transfer of the firearm. You had better transfer the firearm to who’s name is on the paperwork when the gun is delivered and not to someone else, even if both parties are legal purchasers.
it’s really all about intent…a “gift purchase” usually doesn’t feature that element of criminality
As it should be, but the Virginia Officer was charged, tried and convicted because he purchased the firearm and his father picked it up, in another state. It came down to it was HIS name on the payment invoice and the Federal Magistrate ruled it as a straw purchase because HE did not pick the firearm up. When the firearms come in and it has the name of the buyer noted in the seller’s paperwork, the buyer had better be the one picking it up. This is Biden’s ATF.
Straw purchases are federal charges, and are usually the first bargaining chip that gets dropped by state’s attorneys in a plea deal.
which is precisely why the DOn’t Buy programme is the sham it is. Such pleading and threatening do not curb the real straw purchases. Folks out there know that getting popped for a straw buy is rare, and that such charges are often dropped or plead down easily. Thus the law has very few real teeth.
You wanna put an end to that end of that skinny gun pipeline, start putting providing straw purchasers with orange onesies and a long term stay in some Crowbar Hotel. THAT ONE will be “off the streets” as he lays out those years in the pen.And his pals, perhaps thinking of following his lead, may well reconsider and make an informed decision… to go steal one personally or buy a “hot” handguun from one of this buds in “da hood”.
There’s another version that doesn’t qualify as a straw purchase: person A buys a pistol and has it around for several years. Suddenly acquaintance B conveys an urgent need for a gun, so A lends that gun to B. When B delays returning it, A decides to buy a new one in case the loaned one doesn’t come back.
Which I presume is part of why people want universal background checks.
The “Don’t lie for the other guy” campaign has had posters in gun stores since the 90’s and they have yet to fix the grammatical error at the bottom.
“This is a felony. Punishable by…” Those two clauses should be separated by a comma rather than a period. What is punishable? There is no subject in what they present as the last sentence.
HEY !!! That’s my LGS !!! Rock on Tombstone Tactical !
The NSSF effort might be a good political advertisement, but not seeing gun-grabbers, and those intent on straw purchases paying much attention. If the cost of the campaign is negligible, go for it.
“partners at DOJ and ATF” who’s Sat Night Live skit is this from? “partners” NO.
“partners in crime” YES “DO and ATF” Thugs YE
Ironic that any of our government agencies say ” don’t lie “.
All this so they can feel good at night when they sleep thinking to themselves they actually did something to make a difference. It’s all political theater stupidity
Maybe cause AZ is a border state? Several years ago a North Phoenix gum shop was busted for straw sales. I think they’re sign is still up (Caliber firearms?)
That involved ATF telling the dealer to go ahead with the straw purchase as they wanted to trace the firearms for stats to bring back reasoning to add a new “Assault Rifle Ban”. This ended up sending Border Patrol Agents into the field with rubber bullets to “Capture” the Mexican smugglers and the death of Border Patrol Agent Terry as a result. This was Operation Fast and Furious and when they went after the FFL dealer and charged him with the Straw Purchases he produced a audio and video tape of the ATF ordering him to complete the sales. He called ATF and reported the illegals trying buy the rifles, one of which was actually used in the killing of Terry. Charges were dropped and ATF embarrassed as one hand didn’t know what the other was doing. It resulted in the impeachment of Holder for lying about the whole thing. ATF did not trace the rifles or remain actively pursuing the trail of where those rifles went. The Magistrate chastised ATF for the sloppy work and agents were “Punished” with transfers/promotions. That’s why the store is still open. You had better record and document everything you do with the Federal government especially ATF.
And how many straw purchasers have actually been sent to prison?
If this is the same caseI am remembering, they weren’ttargetted because they actually DID a strawpurchase, but because they REFUSED. This was when Oh Bummer and Mr. Hold-em were running the ultimate straw purchse scam, Project Gunwalker, later known as Fast and FUrious. The district BATF guys had sent a couple “buyers” who were obviously not americanos, the folks smelled a pair of rats in these guys and denied the sale. They then contacted the district poohbahs and described what happened, reporting the ID’s of the folks, such as they had them. District told them “if they come back, go ahead and complete the purchases, these guys are OK. They came back, and they still smelled dead rat. They denied again, sealing the determination of District to bury them. They then framed them on some trumped up charges,they had their business seized, all assets including their homes, spent tens or maybe hundreds of thousands in legal fees, got acquitted on most, but a few counts managed to stick. They lost their business and home, are now Prohibited Persons, all because they refused to make some obvously unqualified guys into new owners of guns…. comlete with BGC.
THIS is the sort of thing BATF are good at.
And so far NO ONE involved with F&F has ever been brought to justice for their own crimes.
it’s really all about intent…a “gift purchase” usually doesn’t feature that element of criminality
entrapment is a common tactic for them…..just ask Randy Weaver…got a US Marshall killed that time…
Randy weaver was not entrapped, he committed no crimes until after the standoff had begun.
The initial crime was the unlawful collusion between a confidential informant and Reagan/Bush’s ATF.
“This was when Oh Bummer and Mr. Hold-em were running the ultimate straw purchse scam, Project Gunwalker“
Interesting, you somehow ignored the Republicans gun running efforts in 2006 under Operation Wide Receiver.
“At the time, under the Bush administration Department of Justice (DOJ), no arrests or indictments were made. After President Barack Obama took office in 2009, the DOJ reviewed Wide Receiver and found that guns had been allowed into the hands of suspected gun traffickers. Indictments began in 2010, over three years after Wide Receiver concluded.“
In actual fact, the real problem was a veteran member of the ATF in the Phoenix office, ATF SAC Newell Who started the programs under George Bush, and continued under the new administration which was initially unaware of the programs.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/ATF_gunwalking_scandal
I guess my aged memory recalled incorrectly but I do know Holder is a criminal and got away with (literal) murder. I apologize to involved parties. I guess feds go by fake it till you make it.
Why is NSSF “partnering” with the same agencies that ‘walked’ guns to the cartels in Mexico?? Are they that daft, or do they like licking jackboot leather??
What a bunch of w#ores!
If I know the human and it wants a gunm I will buy it a gunm if they pay it.
Prohibited or Not.
Because that’s the kinda nice guy I am.
.
(the secret part about it is though.- i drive to a remote area so they can test fire the gunm. i load the gunm, then show them how i loaded the gunm, then i shoot them in the head and get out the shovel.)
So yes there is a Free Gunm Zone if you dont consider the gas and shoveling.
Now that thars gunm control
This from the same organization that just a few days ago gave John Cornyn, one of my Texas state senators an A rating when he should have gotten an F.
Well I’ve lost the little respect I had for the nssf. There are plenty of places that money could have been used for good instead of wasted on this crap. Such as sueing the atf for all the unconstitutional bs they have been committing. To L with working with the turds.