Federal agents found a gun lover's paradise when they started making
undercover buys at gun shows and swap meets in Arizona.
Affidavits filed in U.S. District Court say the merchandise included
pistols equipped with silencers, assault rifles, Saturday night specials
and a cannon like .50-caliber weapon that fires a 4-ounce,
armor-penetrating round.
Among the estimated 30 dealers were a 94-year-old Mesa man, a reserve
police officer in Tucson, a felon and several gun shop owners.
Illegal trafficking
And, according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, much
of the trafficking was illegal.
Officials say one Tucson vendor sold guns to a Hispanic agent after being
told the weapons were being smuggled into Mexico. A Mesa man is accused
of manufacturing ammunition illegally at his home. A Phoenix man faxed
his list of guns for sale on stationery from a prominent Valley
construction company where he was employed.
Agents visited gun shows from Tucson to Las Vegas. Locations included the
State Fairgrounds in Phoenix, Centennial Hall in Mesa and the Tucson
Community Center. Investigators also went on buying sprees at swap meets
in communities such as Globe, Prescott, Coolidge and Payson.
At a swap meet in Apache Junction, agents reported finding illegal
vendors brazenly showing off their wares, some with more than 50 guns
displayed in glass cases with price tags attached.
Investigators claim that many of the dealers favor cheap handguns, the
type of weapon preferred by ex-cons who cannot purchase guns from
licensed dealers because FBI background checks are required.
The probe comes in the aftermath of an ATF study that revealed a flood of
illegal firearms purchases at swap meets and gun shows. In a report to
Congress last year, the Treasury Department identified gun shows as
"a major trafficking channel" responsible for more than 26,000
illegal firearm sales during an 18-month study. Many of those were traced
to subsequent crimes.
The report titled, "Commerce in Firearms in the United States,"
also noted that felons were associated with selling or purchasing weapons
in nearly half of the gun show investigations.
Gordon said the investigation, dubbed Operation Dutchboy, began in the
fall of 1999 after surveillance officers followed a convicted murderer to
a gun show and watched him buy a handgun. Moments later, they observed
another convict purchase a weapon.
Although ATF agents obtained search warrants and raided more than 20
homes and businesses in recent months, only a few suspects have been
arrested to date. Gordon said the U.S. Attorney's Office is expected to
pursue criminal charges against more than two dozen suspects in coming
weeks.
Among the allegations listed in affidavits: dealing in firearms without a
license, failing to report firearms sales by licensed vendors and selling
guns to suspected felons.
In one case, an ATF agent used the false ID of a felon to buy a gun. The
dealer ran a background check and said he could not sell the weapon. The
agent pulled out another ID with a name that passed the background check
and was sold a gun.
Although the overall investigation remained secret, portions of the case
were exposed in the media months ago.
In June, the ATF arrested 61-year-old Robert W. Stewart of Mesa and
seized a cache of 38 guns from his home in the 2800 block of North 34th
Place. The weapons included an Uzi, five other submachine guns and a kit
to build .50-caliber weapons that can hit targets a mile away.
Stewart, who had a prior gun conviction, said the right to bear arms is
inspired by God and all gun restrictions are illegal. He later pleaded
guilty and was sentenced to prison.
MORE ON...
http://www.gunnerynetwork.com/news/target-gun-shows.html
