chip - I might be able to explain this better if I stepped through your consecutive gifting scenario in a way that would avoid the straw purchase problem.
Let's say you need a car. I have a beat up Mazda Miata that is worth $1k. We're friends and you've helped me out in the past, so I give you the car. Worth $1k.
You use the car, but manage to get back on your feet and get your own car. You don't need the Miata so you sell it for $1k.
With that cash, you buy 2 ARs back when it was possible to get 2 ARs for $1k. You are so grateful that I helped you out, you give me one of the ARs. You could even keep possession of it, but we both agree which AR is mine.
That's not a straw purchase, even if you intended when you bought it to gift it to me.
When I gave you the thing of value, there was no intent for you to buy a gun for me with it.
Now, a trickier case would be if, when I gave you the Miata, we agreed that you could use it until you got your own car, then when you sold it, you'd buy an AR for me.
But, that's the kind of thing law school final exam questions are made of.
Let's say you need a car. I have a beat up Mazda Miata that is worth $1k. We're friends and you've helped me out in the past, so I give you the car. Worth $1k.
You use the car, but manage to get back on your feet and get your own car. You don't need the Miata so you sell it for $1k.
With that cash, you buy 2 ARs back when it was possible to get 2 ARs for $1k. You are so grateful that I helped you out, you give me one of the ARs. You could even keep possession of it, but we both agree which AR is mine.
That's not a straw purchase, even if you intended when you bought it to gift it to me.
When I gave you the thing of value, there was no intent for you to buy a gun for me with it.
Now, a trickier case would be if, when I gave you the Miata, we agreed that you could use it until you got your own car, then when you sold it, you'd buy an AR for me.
But, that's the kind of thing law school final exam questions are made of.