Federal, state and local law enforcement officials on Thursday launched a month-long public awareness campaign in Palm Beach County warning residents that buying a gun for someone who cannot legally own one is a serious federal crime that can carry up to 15 years in prison.
The “Don’t Lie for the Other Guy” initiative — now in its 26th year — targets so-called straw purchases, in which someone with a clean record buys a firearm on behalf of a prohibited person such as a convicted felon, drug trafficker or gang member.
The event was held at Wex Gunworks in Delray Beach and led by Joe Bartozzi, president and CEO of the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the trade association for the firearms industry. He was joined by Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Director Robert Cekada, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida Jason A. Reding Quiñones, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) and local police officials from Palm Beach County agencies…