Examples of transactions that were classified as private party gun sales or straw purchases
| Private party sales |
| 1. Santa Clara County Fairgrounds, San Jose, CA; 20 August 2005. An apparently unlicensed vendor and an attendee who has brought a shotgun for sale walk to the corner of the room, and the shotgun is exchanged for cash. There is no paperwork. The vendor returns to his table and places the gun on display for sale. (Later in the show, this vendor purchased another shotgun under similar circumstances.) |
| 2. Arizona State Fairgrounds, Phoenix, AZ; 10 September 2005. Four young men purchase eight handguns over the course of the day. Their last transaction is observed; they pool their remaining cash to buy two Glock pistols from an unlicensed vendor. No identification or in-state residence status is requested or provided. (This vendor was observed selling two other handguns in the same manner earlier in the show.) As the men leave the show they are observed by two Phoenix Police Department Gang Unit officers, one of whom comments: “They’ll just take’ em out on the street and sell ‘em.” |
| 3. Reno Convention Center, Reno, NV; 9 October 2005. A private vendor with 78 long guns on display sells a shotgun for cash. He asks the buyer, “Do you have a Nevada driver’s license? As long as you’re okay with the law and have a Nevada driver’s license, we’re fine. I don’t have to make a phone call; I’m a private guy.” He does not ask to see the license, and the buyer does not produce it. The buyer asks if he can pay by credit card. The vendor responds, “No, we’re not a business. We don’t do that.” |
| Straw purchases |
| 1. Arizona State Fairgrounds, Phoenix, AZ; 24 April 2005. A male in his 30s is observed carrying an assault-type pistol in each hand. He approaches another attendee with a similar pistol and buys that gun for cash without examining it; the transaction lasts less than 1 min. Within 5 min he has purchased high-capacity magazines and cases for the guns, which he identifies to the magazine vendor as a MAC 11 and two TEC 9s. Less than a minute later he bargains with another attendee for a new Romanian AK rifle with two 30-round magazines, but they are unable to agree on a price. A confederate appears; he and the confederate examine an Uzi pistol, then discover that the vendor selling it is a licensed retailer and move on. The purchaser hands one of his guns to the confederate, who leaves the show, while the purchaser continues to shop. Total elapsed time: 12 min. |
| 2. Ventura County Fairgrounds, Ventura, CA; 28 August 2005. A man and his female partner are negotiating the purchase of a handgun from a licensed retailer. She has not qualified for the state-required Handgun Safety Certificate (HSC). His may be out of date, and he does not have it with him. This conversation ensues: |
| Man: So how do I go about buying this gun for her? |
| Vendor [sharply]: For who? |
| Man: Oh. Uh, for me. |
| Vendor: Well, you can buy it now and take the [HSC] test at the store. We can do it that way. |
| [There is a discussion of the attendees’ marital status. If they are married, he could buy the gun and transfer it to her. They are not.] |
| Vendor: Okay. Whose name is this going to be in? |
| Man: It’s going to be in my name. |
| Vendor: Fine. We can do that. |
| 3. Florida Fairgrounds, Tampa, FL; 4 March 2006. A woman in her 20s is purchasing an SKS rifle with a bayonet and 30-round magazine from a licensed retailer. Her male partner selects the gun, then stands 15 feet away while she completes the paperwork, undergoes a background check, and pays for the gun in cash. While waiting for the background check, he talks with the retailer about the gun, the type of case he would need, and proper ammunition. He takes possession of the gun when the transaction is completed and proceeds to buy a case and ammunition for it. |