Gun Crime
In Schenectady:
A gun buyback program in the city spearheaded by an Albany pastor has already maxed out with 10 guns taken in, the pastor said Tuesday.
Now, he’s looking for ways to continue it.
Pastor Charlie Muller of Victory Christian Church had offered $150 gift cards to Crossgates Mall in exchange for handguns. The cards were funded by the church.
Unless the pastor is a federally licensed firearms dealer, he’s breaking the law.
October 9th, 2008 at 9:05 am
What Sec.922 violation is he committing? As a non-prohibited private citizen, he may purchase as many handguns as he’d like from other private citizens, whether he does so at his church or at a gun show, as long as he is not engaging in the business of selling firearms.
He may be breaking NYS law left and right, but I’m not seeing a Federal violation here.
October 9th, 2008 at 9:09 am
In NY, I think he has to be an FFL to transfer.
October 9th, 2008 at 9:10 am
Then that’s not the BATF’s bailiwick; that’s New York State law.
October 9th, 2008 at 9:12 am
where on earth does ATF not enforce state gun laws? And I’m being serious.
October 9th, 2008 at 9:23 am
The states I’ve worked in haven’t been long on gun laws, but I’ve seen gun-related stuff handled by local and state LEOs with nary a BATF agent or Federal prosecutor involved plenty of times.
October 9th, 2008 at 9:30 am
my understanding is that states with restrictive gun laws tend to have ATF in on the enforcement. Or, rather, ATF tends to pursue charges based on state gun laws.
October 9th, 2008 at 11:03 pm
BATFAEIOUandsometimesY can’t pursue charges on state gun laws. They can, at most, assist with investigations and offer resources, but unless they can bring evidence for an indictment to a Federal prosecutor, they’re nothing but taxpayer-funded detectives.
Our side does us no help by summoning bugbears where there aren’t any or getting our legal opinions from Law & Order: SVU. There are enough real goblins out there in the .gov after our gun rights without inventing more…