A Blaine man is accused of illegally buying dozens of guns that investigators say have, over the past five years, ended up tied to criminal activity across the Twin Cities, including the killings of two young children in the summer of 2021.
William Burton, 26, faces federal charges for allegedly making false statements while buying firearms. The affidavit says he certified that he was buying the firearms for himself, but instead he would sell them to others.
According to the complaint, Burton bought at least 41 handguns in the nine-month span between November 2019 and August 2020. By September 2020, five of the guns he bought had been recovered by police, and by April 2025, 17 of the guns had been found under circumstances associated with criminal activity.
In one of the instances, police conducted a traffic stop outside the Eagan Outlet Mall in October 2021 on a report of shoplifting. While searching the car, officers found a 9mm gun, which Burton had allegedly bought on May 28, 2020…