Les Jones

Guns > Newsflash: Did CNN Break Federal Firearms Laws?

Jed at Freedomsight is calling attention to a CNN report that may show a CNN reporter breaking Federal gun laws.

The reporter purchased a gun through an online auction site. I've purchased a gun through an online auction myself. In keeping with the law, I had the gun shipped to a local FFL (Federal Firearms License) holder, who performed a criminal background check on me before transferring the gun to my possession. Details here. There's nothing illegal about the way I did it, since the same FFL could have sold me a similar gun, and would have performed the same background check.

What the reporter did next is probably illegal, however. He did not have the gun shipped to an FFL. The gun's owner was in Houston, so the reporter flew to Texas to take possession of the gun in a private party transfer, which may have violated sections of the 1968 Gun Control Act by enganging in interstate arms sales without a license. It also appears that CNN had a Texas resident buy the gun for them, which would constitute an illegal "straw" purchase, in which the purported purchases is in fact immediately transferring possession to the actual purchaser.

I haven't seen the CNN segment, but from the reports it sounds like CNN intended to show that they could legally buy the a .50 rifle from an online auction without a background check. Instead, they appear to have videotaped themselves breaking several gun laws.