I used to know a good many gun
dealers, and none of them or myself
have ever known of a case of a straw
purchase being prosecuted
Well let me give you first hand info on at least one case that was prosecuted.
An FFL dealer we'll just call Steven since that's his first name ran a huge gun shop in Gadsden, AL. I spent about a ton of money there and he and I became friends. He would ship or receive guns for me at no cost other than actual shipping cost to ship.
He was doing an absolutely amazing business. Most every time I was in the shop I'd see from a couple to as many as a dozen guns being sold and that's EVERY time I went.
I figured the shop was making him a millionaire many times over.
BUT it apparently wasn't enough for him. He started doing straw purchases on the side. From what I was able to gather he kept using the same person's name on each federal form to sell them to.
The BATFE came knocking. I was there one day when they were there and he was really hush hush to me about it. They took ALL his forms from years of business, his bound book and all else that wasn't nailed down.
I don't know how much jail time he got cuz I haven't talked to him since the sentencing. He can never again hold an FFL or run a gun shop.
So I know for a fact they busted at least one gun shop for straw purchases.
I gathered they got onto him when they somehow noticed so many guns being sold to one person from that shop. They paid the guy a visit and he told them he had no clue what they were talking about that he hadn't bought a gun in a long time and for sure not a bunch of them. That then led to a full audit of his books, his forms and his business and him going to jail.
