In a guest column in the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Everytown For Gun Safety’s John Feinblatt blamed the alleged activities of a gun trafficking ring on what he called Virginia’s “weak laws” regarding such things as straw purchases. Along the way, he allowed that two of those arrested in the caper are convicted felons.
News flash for Mr. Feinblatt: Purchasing a firearm for a known prohibited person—a straw purchase—is a federal felony. Lying on Form 4473 is a federal crime, as is causing a federally licensed gun dealer to submit a false form. Burglarizing, or robbing, a gun store (an activity that is on the rise) is against the law. And selling a gun to a person that you should know is prohibited is a felony whether the seller is required to conduct a background check or not—no matter if the sale takes place in a parking lot or a gun show.
In addition, Feinblatt’s total knowledge of the path taken by those guns is comes from a wiretap of one of those arrested bragging about buying 20 guns from a Virginia gun store. Perhaps he should fact-check his sources—or wait for the results of an investigation—before writing his next column.
