Straw buyer suspected in Miller murders
The Kansas City Star reports that it is suspected that F. Glenn Miller, the fellow who killed three outside a Jewish center last week, got his gun from another person (a straw buyer) since he was a convicted felon and would have been prevented by current laws from purchasing the gun himself.
The person who bought the guns intended for Miller purchased them from a licensed merchant, the law enforcement official said. The source declined to say whether authorities have identified the merchant or determined when the firearms were bought.
A straw buyer breaks the law by lying on the ATF’s Form 4473 that asks about the identity of the true purchaser. (“Are you the actual transferee/buyer of the firearm(s) listed on this form?”) False statements on the form carry a fine of up to $250,000 and a prison term up to 10 years.
Last week, in New York State, Dawn Nguyen, who bought a gun for murderer and previously convicted felon William Spengler was convicted by state authorities of falsifying a business record and giving the guns to a convicted felon. Spengler used the gun he got from Nguyen to kill two firefighters in Webster, New York last year which contributed to the passage of New York’s draconian SAFE Act. Nguyen now faces federal charges after her sentencing on state charges set for May 19th.
Nothing in the SAFE Act would have prevented Spengler from getting a gun or committing his crime. The fact remains that criminals don’t pay attention to laws, no matter how many get passed to keep guns out of their grubby little paws. Gun laws only punish people willing to obey the law.
Category: Crime
I find it strange that the authorities are so sure of a straw buyer. With all the identity theft occurring today would not be a possibility of him using a phony photo ID.
Not sure there was a huge intellectual leap involved… “well, gee, if he didn’t buy them himself, – wait! Someone else musta done it for him!”
It would actually be worse if they knew for sure he didn’t buy them – because that would imply a national registration database to run his name against.