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Associated Press
NYC Gun Stings Questionable, Feds Say
By SAMANTHA GROSS 02.08.07, 11:50 PM ET
Private investigators hired by the city to conduct sting operations on
out-of-state gun shops could be breaking the law, and the dealers they
caught making illegal sales will not be prosecuted, federal officials
said Thursday.
City officials have sued more than two dozen dealers after hiring
investigators to pose as buyers attempting straw purchases, in which
one person fills out the paperwork for the gun but is buying for
someone else. The scam is often used by convicted felons and others
barred from owning firearms.
The city argues that the shops - in Georgia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South
Carolina and Virginia - are responsible for many of the illegal
weapons that end up in New York, and the suits have led seven dealers
to agree to more scrutiny.
The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
announced in May it was reviewing whether the city acted legally.
"Potential legal liabilities" arise when civilians do the work of law
enforcers, Department of Justice spokesman Bryan Sierra said Thursday.
The department has decided charges are not warranted against dealers
in the sting cases, he said.
It was unclear whether the private investigators could face charges.
Deputy Mayor Ed Skyler dismissed the department's suggestion that
investigators could be breaking the law.
"When illegal guns are sold in our city, that's putting people at
great physical risk, and that's more important," he said Thursday.
"The city has followed the law, and there's no reason we shouldn't
continue to do these operations."
Some of the gun sellers have asked a judge to dismiss the lawsuits,
saying the city is out of bounds because the dealers are not doing
business in New York.
Gun rights advocates have criticized the sting operations, and the
Second Amendment Foundation issued a statement Thursday calling the
Department of Justice's findings a "significant victory."
Associated Press
NYC Gun Stings Questionable, Feds Say
By SAMANTHA GROSS 02.08.07, 11:50 PM ET
Private investigators hired by the city to conduct sting operations on
out-of-state gun shops could be breaking the law, and the dealers they
caught making illegal sales will not be prosecuted, federal officials
said Thursday.
City officials have sued more than two dozen dealers after hiring
investigators to pose as buyers attempting straw purchases, in which
one person fills out the paperwork for the gun but is buying for
someone else. The scam is often used by convicted felons and others
barred from owning firearms.
The city argues that the shops - in Georgia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South
Carolina and Virginia - are responsible for many of the illegal
weapons that end up in New York, and the suits have led seven dealers
to agree to more scrutiny.
The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
announced in May it was reviewing whether the city acted legally.
"Potential legal liabilities" arise when civilians do the work of law
enforcers, Department of Justice spokesman Bryan Sierra said Thursday.
The department has decided charges are not warranted against dealers
in the sting cases, he said.
It was unclear whether the private investigators could face charges.
Deputy Mayor Ed Skyler dismissed the department's suggestion that
investigators could be breaking the law.
"When illegal guns are sold in our city, that's putting people at
great physical risk, and that's more important," he said Thursday.
"The city has followed the law, and there's no reason we shouldn't
continue to do these operations."
Some of the gun sellers have asked a judge to dismiss the lawsuits,
saying the city is out of bounds because the dealers are not doing
business in New York.
Gun rights advocates have criticized the sting operations, and the
Second Amendment Foundation issued a statement Thursday calling the
Department of Justice's findings a "significant victory."
