Bloomberg Anti-Gun Group Conducts Illegal Gun Purchases

[Pat McGarrity]

Last May, New York City Mayor, Michael Bloomberg’s anti-gun mayor’s group sent private detectives to Tennessee, Ohio and Nevada to make illegal straw purchases of guns for the group to gather evidence against gun sellers.

Shelby County Mayor, A.C. Wharton, is a member of Bloomberg’s anti-gun mayor’s group.

In this video from the NY Post, Bloomberg’s agents are shown using what appears to be a counterfeit Ohio driver’s license and admitting that the guns are not being bought for them, which is a straw purchase:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zOnS7L4AwI

While some sellers used bad judgement, which is absolutely not condoned and not what gun rights proponents support, the unanswered question is; why hasn’t BATF prosecuted the illegal straw purchasers and their boss, Bloomberg?

The City of Sharonville, OH, issued a statement with some good points about Bloomberg’s fishing expedition:

http://www.local12.com/news/local/story ... LN6kQ.cspx


City of Sharonville Reacts to NYC Gun Show Investigation

The city of Sharonville today released a statement in response to an undercover investigation by New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg into illegal gun sales. The investigation, which covered seven gun shows in three states, including the Sharonville Convention Center, allegedly showed how easy it is for criminals to buy firearms at gun shows.

The undercover investigation sent professional investigators to seven gun shows in Nevada, Ohio, and Tennessee to determine whether sellers would engage in two types of illegal transactions. The first involves private sellers selling guns to people who they thought could not pass a federal background check. The second involves licensed dealers conducting illegal straw sales, which are sales made to accomplices posing as buyers in order to help the real buyer avoid a criminal background check.

Thirty-five of 47 gun sellers sold to people who said either they probably could not pass a background check or to apparent "straw purchasers."

Today, Sharonville released a statement which reads: "A report was released on Wednesday about an investigation conducted by New York City Mayor Bloomberg regarding the alleged improper sale of guns by a few dealers at various gun shows in Ohio, Tennessee and Nevada.. It is nice that Mayor Bloomberg has spent New York money hiring private investigators to identify alleged crimes of federal law in other states. However, proper arrests cannot be made without informing the Sharonville Police Department. Customarily, we are informed of these types of investigations so that we can coordinate with the appropriate federal agency.

We are a strong proponent of a person's right to sell and purchase firearms, and yet, the City of Sharonville is very committed to seeing gun sales only performed within the law. Our Convention Center has provided the venue for these and many other events over the past 15 years without a single violation being reported by any law enforcement agency.

It should be noted that federal agencies are actively involved in monitoring and enforcing these gun shows including the one represented in the investigation. The violations referred to are federal and not state. The City of Sharonville does not have jurisdiction over federal laws, but does take any violation very seriously. To our knowledge no federal agency was informed of this private investigation and, therefore, makes enforcement of these particular incidents impossible.

We have an exemplary reputation and continue to work closely with the management of this show to ensure that all of the laws pertaining to gun sales are adhered to. We are not the organizers; however we feel it is our responsibility to ensure that every event taking place in this facility is conducted in a safe and legal manner. The promoter of this show is now preparing a list of expanded policies and procedures to be implemented at all future shows to strengthen this commitment. "