Bloomberg Sues 15 Gun Shops In Five States

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The New York Sun

NEW YORK (AP) – Mayor Michael Bloomberg is suing 15 out-of-state gun shops that allegedly sold firearms illegally to undercover investigators conducting a sting operation among dealers that supply many of the weapons used in New York City crimes.

The lawsuit, which names gun dealers in Georgia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Virginia, asks the court to halt the sales and require close monitoring of sales at those shops. It also seeks some damages and compensation.

The Republican mayor, who has made gun control a top priority in his second term, declared that the city’s new “efforts to stop this bloodshed have to reach across state lines.”

The Bloomberg administration’s unusual move appears to circumvent the law signed by President Bush last year that gives gun makers and dealers broad protection from civil suits, except in cases where they violate the law.

For the sting operation, the city singled out about 45 dealers based on gun trace data that links weapons sold in those shops to hundreds of shootings and other crimes in New York City from 1994 to 2001.

Private investigators wore hidden cameras and attempted “straw purchases,” where one person fills out the legal forms and makes the purchase for someone else. The scam, prohibited by federal law, is typically used by people who cannot own firearms, such as convicted felons.

The city said the undercover investigators entered stores in teams of two, usually a man and a woman. While the woman roamed the store and acted disinterested, the man made all the inquiries about the gun and made it clear he was the buyer. When it came time to make the purchase, the woman would step up to fill out the paperwork.

The majority of dealers refused the sale, Bloomberg said. In a video from one such attempt, the man behind the counter shrugged his shoulders, apologized and said it would be against the law for him to sell to the woman because she was clearly not the intended user.

But the 15 dealers named in the suit allowed the transaction, and Bloomberg called them “the worst of the worst.”

“They were either intentionally or negligently selling handguns in a manner that violates federal law,” he said.

Five of the dealers named in the suit are located in Georgia, including A-1 Jewelry and Pawn, which authorities say has supplied 42 guns used in New York City crimes from 1994 to 2001.

Owner Earl Driggers said he had cooperated with authorities on a past police sting, and believes he has always complied with the law.

“We certainly do everything we can to make sure guns don’t leave our store illegally,” Driggers said. “I don’t know what you’re supposed to do. If a guy comes in and meets all the criteria and you comply with the law, I don’t know what you do.”

In addition to filing the lawsuit, the city is turning over its findings to authorities in the dealers’ districts, as well as the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.


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