ATF and Firearms Industry Join Forces to Stop Illegal Purchases of Firearms in Northeastern PA

"Buy a gun for someone who can't and buy yourself 10 years in jail."

SCRANTON, Pa., Dec. 7, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and representatives from the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) – the trade association for the firearms industry – today announced a major campaign to reduce significantly the illegal straw purchases of firearms in northeastern Pennsylvania.

The program, called "Don't Lie for the Other Guy," was developed to raise public awareness that it is a serious crime to purchase a firearm for someone who cannot legally do so or for someone who does not otherwise want his or her name associated with the transaction.  The program is also designed to educate firearms dealers on how to better detect and deter potential straw purchases.

The campaign, which has been enhanced to better focus on the purchasers, drives home the message that anyone attempting an illegal firearm purchase faces a stiff federal penalty: Buy a gun for someone who can't and buy yourself 10 years in jail.

"Straw purchasers are a primary source of firearms to those engaged in criminal activity," said Acting Special Agent in Charge Essam Rabadi of the ATF Philadelphia Field Division. "ATF, in our partnership with NSSF, is committed to preventing the diversion of firearms to criminals.  If you straw purchase a firearm you are exposing yourself to a 10 year sentence in a federal prison."  

Residents and visitors to northeastern Pennsylvania will see Don't Lie for the Other Guy billboards and posters throughout the area and will hear the campaign's strong message via radio and television public service announcements (PSA). Outdoor media signs will be displayed anywhere from four weeks to several months, and the PSA will be played for the next month.

NSSF Senior Vice President and General Counsel Lawrence G. Keane said, "This program has been welcomed by firearms retailers as a valuable educational tool to better enable them to spot would-be straw purchasers and prevent illegal straw purchases. Our goal in reaching out to the public is to warn them that they would be committing a serious crime by attempting to purchase a firearm for someone who cannot legally possess one. We applaud and appreciate the support of the ATF for joining with members of our industry in this cooperative effort."

The Don't Lie for the Other Guy program is a vital component of ATF's outreach efforts to educate firearms dealers and their employees on how to better recognize and deter the illegal purchase of firearms through straw purchases. This program is an important tool for ATF to accomplish its mission of reducing violent crime and protecting the public. The campaign is reaching out to firearms retailers in the greater Scranton and Allentown areas and distributing Don't Lie retailer education kits. Each kit contains a training video and brochure for the storeowner and staff as well as point-of-purchase displays aimed to deter this illegal activity.

Don't Lie for the Other Guy is a joint program of ATF and the NSSF.  Funding for the program comes from the National Shooting Sports Foundation.  

www.atf.gov  

Steven Bartholomew (ATF)
(215) 446-9672    

SOURCE Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives