For immediate release: July 12, 2007
PRO-GUN
NEW HAMPSHIRE
DEMANDS INVESTIGATION OF
ADMITTED
ILLEGAL GUN PURCHASES
Anti-gun activist John Rosenthal of Stop Handgun Violence admitted on the radio show "Finneran's Forum" on WRKO 680 AM that he intentionally made an illegal, "straw" purchase of a firearm at a New Hampshire gun show with the help of Boston Globe reporter Steve Bailey.
According to WorldNetDaily (http://www.worldnetdaily.com:80/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=56611 ):
Rosenthal said when he tried to purchase a handgun from a licensed dealer, he was told he could not because he was not a resident of New Hampshire. Bailey and Rosenthal then explained how they brought a New Hampshire resident with them, supposedly a prison guard, who was able to pass the background checks and purchase the gun for them. Bailey acknowledged the Globe paid the bill.
This is arguably an admitted violation of both federal law and state law. Contrary to popular belief, there is no “gun show loophole”; dealers must follow the same laws when they’re at gun shows as they do at their places of business. It is a Federal felony for a person to buy a handgun out of state, unless he has it shipped to a licensed dealer in his home state. More to the point, it is a Federal felony (ten years in Federal prison!) to make the kind of "straw purchase" done here; that is, for someone who can legally buy a handgun to do so for someone who cannot legally do so. In addition, New Hampshire regulates sales to non-residents, and the state does the NICS check for all purchases from dealers, even at gun shows, as a POC (point of contact) under the Brady Law. Both state and federal law enforcement authorities have jurisdiction over these offenses.
The authorities must not ignore this public flaunting of our gun laws. Many others have been prosecuted under these laws for violations done out of ignorance, much less intentional violation of the law as the case here appears to be. To ignore this would set a bad precedent that such acts are acceptable and that our gun laws are meaningless or only selectively enforced.
The Board of Directors of Pro-Gun New Hampshire, Inc., hereby respectfully demands that law enforcement authorities do their job, investigate this, and prosecute any guilty parties — whether they are anti-gun activists, reporters, state-wide newspapers, prison guards or not. If “Don’t lie for the other guy” means anything at all, then this cannot be ignored.