Straw Purchase- what would you do?

[flatlander]

Say you see a dealer at a local gun show OBVIOUSLY do a straw purchase. What would you do?
I'm talking, male comes up with female. HE picks up the weapon, pretending to fire it from the hip, repeatedly, asks ALL the questions. Female sits down, fills out the paperwork, gets the money from the male and gives it to the dealer.

Bob

 

[VERT]

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

Maybe it was a not-so-much-of-a-surprise birthday gift?

 

[flatlander]

Maybe it was a not-so-much-of-a-surprise birthday gift?

Not a chance.

 

[BigBoxaJunk]

Say you see a dealer at a local gun show OBVIOUSLY do a straw purchase. What would you do?
I'm talking, male comes up with female. HE picks up the weapon, pretending to fire it from the hip, repeatedly, asks ALL the questions. Female sits down, fills out the paperwork, gets the money from the male and gives it to the dealer.

Bob

I walk right by and head for the booth with the Kangaroo jerky.

 

[pute62]

Keep crop dusting and move along. Nothing to see/no deals to be had here.

 

[gregkl]

I thought a straw purchase was buying a firearm for someone who can't legally possess one? If it is a purchase for someone else no matter what, then how could you ever buy a gift for someone?

 

[ArcadiaGP]

I don't see what's wrong with this? I bought a gun, filled out all the paperwork, and handed it to my then girlfriend. Nothing wrong with that.

I guess if you like making assumptions, you can say them both being there together purchasing it in that way.... yadda yadda...

 

[Cameramonkey]

I thought a straw purchase was buying a firearm for someone who can't legally possess one? If it is a purchase for someone else no matter what, then how could you ever buy a gift for someone?

I think his point is "if the dude can buy it, and he is obviously the one to shoot it, why isnt his a** the one filling out the form?"

Case in point: Mrs. Monkey had a fresh pink permission slip and wanted her first carry piece last year. We went to Bradis together. I talked to the guys and we looked at a few. When she made her choice, SHE grabbed a pen and filled out the form. I dont recall who acually handed them the credit card to complete the sale, but the important point was that it was HER gun so SHE filled out the form. ( and I had NO plausable deniability... its a purple pocket gun! )

And yes, you can gift a gun legally. But buying a gun solo and then going home and giving it to them is a WORLD away from the OP's scenario. Just look at the guy who is currently wading through the legal system for doing something similar. His dad(?) gave him a check with the model gun he wanted in the memo. Son went to gun store and bought said gun with the cash. He gave the gun to his dad and is now being persecuted (note the language) under the straw purchase law EVEN THOUGH DAD WAS A PROPER PERSON! Here is hoping this test case further clarifies the definition of "straw purchase".


To the OP, I'm not sure what I would do. I DO know I would seriously consider not going in there again if I felt they were violating laws. A good salesman should be shrewd enough to use common sense and ask questions to keep his boss from losing his FFL.

 

[flatlander]

Did I not make it clear that it was obviously a straw purchase? I give up. When I was working with my F.I.L. , when he had his FFL, we turned away more than a few customers who did what this "couple " did.
And we wonder how the thugs get the guns. Part of the problem is that some dealers are more interested in money than doing what they are suppose to. Golly, I didn't realize the person that selected, played with the weapon, had the money but didn't fill out the paperwork might not be doing a straw purchase.

Bob

 

[Snapdragon]

Did I not make it clear that it was obviously a straw purchase? I give up. When I was working with my F.I.L. , when he had his FFL, we turned away more than a few customers who did what this "couple " did.
And we wonder how the thugs get the guns. Part of the problem is that some dealers are more interested in money than doing what they are suppose to. Golly, I didn't realize the person that selected, played with the weapon, had the money but didn't fill out the paperwork might not be doing a straw purchase.

Bob

IMO, what you didn't make clear was that this was a situation that actually happened, rather than a purely hypothetical one.

 

[ArcadiaGP]

Did I not make it clear that it was obviously a straw purchase? I give up. When I was working with my F.I.L. , when he had his FFL, we turned away more than a few customers who did what this "couple " did.
And we wonder how the thugs get the guns. Part of the problem is that some dealers are more interested in money than doing what they are suppose to. Golly, I didn't realize the person that selected, played with the weapon, had the money but didn't fill out the paperwork might not be doing a straw purchase.

Bob

Not saying you're wrong, but it's still an assumption. But it's something anyone could do. He didn't have to be there. She could have bought it on her own and still handed it to him. How do you suggest this issue is resolved? What law could you possibly conjure to resolve this? (We need less laws, not more. People will abuse things... but that's a side-effect of having our freedom and liberty)

I don't think there's anything that can fix this sort of situation... because no one is required to be interviewed or be given a truth serum prior to buying a gun.

It's going to happen.

If you work at a gun shop, and you have a high suspicion - It's up to you to make the call. You can refuse service, they can go elsewhere.

 

[Arthur Dent]

Say you see a dealer at a local gun show OBVIOUSLY do a straw purchase. What would you do?
I'm talking, male comes up with female. HE picks up the weapon, pretending to fire it from the hip, repeatedly, asks ALL the questions. Female sits down, fills out the paperwork, gets the money from the male and gives it to the dealer.

Bob

Perhaps he was buying it for her with his money and she was getting it in her name. Of course he's going to finger f*** it, pretend to fire it, etc. He's a man. He approves of the gun, she fills out the paperwork and he gives her the money for it. BFD. Unless you can read minds there's a good chance you don't know all the details.

 

[BigBoxaJunk]

And, it's not a straw purchase unless the gun goes with the guy when they leave the show. In your scenario, there's no way to tell who took the gun home.

 

[DRob]

Did I not make it clear that it was obviously a straw purchase? ..................

Bob

No, Bob. You did not make it clear it was obviously a straw purchase. All you did was make it clear you thought it was. It may have been but your description didn't sell me.

 

[gregkl]

I think his point is "if the dude can buy it, and he is obviously the one to shoot it, why isnt his a** the one filling out the form?"

Case in point: Mrs. Monkey had a fresh pink permission slip and wanted her first carry piece last year. We went to Bradis together. I talked to the guys and we looked at a few. When she made her choice, SHE grabbed a pen and filled out the form. I dont recall who acually handed them the credit card to complete the sale, but the important point was that it was HER gun so SHE filled out the form. ( and I had NO plausable deniability... its a purple pocket gun! )

And yes, you can gift a gun legally. But buying a gun solo and then going home and giving it to them is a WORLD away from the OP's scenario. Just look at the guy who is currently wading through the legal system for doing something similar. His dad(?) gave him a check with the model gun he wanted in the memo. Son went to gun store and bought said gun with the cash. He gave the gun to his dad and is now being persecuted (note the language) under the straw purchase law EVEN THOUGH DAD WAS A PROPER PERSON! Here is hoping this test case further clarifies the definition of "straw purchase".


To the OP, I'm not sure what I would do. I DO know I would seriously consider not going in there again if I felt they were violating laws. A good salesman should be shrewd enough to use common sense and ask questions to keep his boss from losing his FFL.

Thanks Cameramonkey! But I bet you could carry purple just fine.

 

[KLB]

Since it isn't my job I would ignore the whole thing. I wouldn't KNOW what was going on, I would only be assuming.

 

[Bigtanker]

It's the FFL that shoulders the responsibility. Not you. If this place gets a name for that, it will bite them in the arse eventually.

Don't like it, don't support them.

 

[357 Terms]

Hypothetically, I would tell them I cannot complete the transaction.

I have turned down many people in this situation

I explain as best I can how the process works.
Some understand, some don't.

No way! Will I risk microscopic proctologist exam from an ATF agent.

now if I witnessed this and was not working,...... I would say something to the seller.
Something along the lines of the proctologist examination I mentioned earlier.

 

[Darral27]

My wife and I have been to purchase guns together and never had an issue. I normally do more fondling of the firearm and hand over the money but she does normally fill out the paperwork. I am just really not much of a filling forms out person. I don't see how you can be so sure this is a straw purchase.