Vegas man travels to Utah and buys 283 weapons in 2020 - busted by ATF for reselling

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An industrious little bugger, ain't he?

https://kslnewsradio.com/1935161/las-vegas-man-indicted-for-illegally-buying-hundreds-of-guns-in-utah/

SALT LAKE CITY – Federal prosecutors in Utah indict a Las Vegas man who reportedly lied to buy guns by the hundreds. Investigators say those guns are connected to illegal drugs and murders in other states.

Gregory Nelson is facing 11 charges, including making false statements during the acquisition of a firearm, dealing in firearms without a license and travel within the US with intent to violate federal law. Prosecutors say Nelson had driven from Las Vegas to Utah to buy weapons, then lied on his ATF application.

John Huber, the US Attorney for Utah, says, “He has to say, ‘I’m purchasing this gun for me.’ He promises, under penalty of the law, that’s the truth.”

However, Huber says Nelson was actually a straw buyer who would then resell the guns to other people. Nelson reportedly bought 283 weapons in 2020, with 171 of them being purchased just between July and August. Investigators first got wind of this alleged plot when gun store operators told authorities about Nelson’s suspicious purchases.

“When you see 147 guns of the same type and style, those assigns to firearms licensees, the businessmen and women [that make them think], ‘Oh, that seems a little bit odd,’” Huber says.

Investigators say Nelson spent roughly $176 thousand on these weapons, and they believe that’s a conservative estimate.

Huber adds, “What really brings our attention to this… the ‘red flag’ here is the ‘time to crime.’”

That means the guns were purchased then used in possible crimes in a very short amount of time. In one case, Huber says a firearm was found at a crime scene in California just two days after Nelson reportedly bought it.

“We have 19 guns recovered in California in criminal investigations, including homicide investigations. The time between those guns being purchased and being recovered at crime scenes is short,” Huber says.

Some of the crimes Nelson’s guns are reportedly connected to include:

A DEA narcotics investigation in California on August 27th.
A murder investigation in Walnut Creek, CA, on July 7th
A double-homicide investigation in East Palo Alto, CA, on August 2nd

Huber says each count of making a false state during the acquisition of a firearm carries a potential sentence of 10 years in federal prison, but he doesn’t believe the judge will stack those sentences.
 
So did they get him for buying 283 firearms, or did they trace a crime gun to him?

Because it should be perfectly legal to by 283 firearms...
 
mtptwo said:
So did they get him for buying 283 firearms, or did they trace a crime gun to him?

Because it should be perfectly legal to by 283 firearms...

Yep, I believe it is... Lying on a 4473, probably not so much.
 
Then there’s the thing about several of them showing up at crime scenes, in California within months or even weeks of your purchase. You’re either dealing guns that are likely illegal in Commifornia or you're a criminal.

I bet that Gives ATF probable cause to search for how many firearms you still have, records of sales, and anything else they stumble on.
 
The real reason he’s in trouble is he didn’t pay taxes on the resale and didn’t do NICS checks like an FFL would.

As long as the government gets it’s say so and it’s cut...
 
Crippledtrigger said:
Those arent straw purchases, unless he was the BK of unlicensed gun runners.

Just saying

Agreed, not technically a straw purchase in the traditional sense. He would have to be buying the firearms for a specific person who he knew was unable to pass the NICS background check.

Now, he did violate 18 USC 922(a)(1); it is unlawful for a person to engage in the business of dealing in firearms without a license.
 
QuietM4 said:
Crippledtrigger said:
Those arent straw purchases, unless he was the BK of unlicensed gun runners.

Just saying

Agreed, not technically a straw purchase in the traditional sense. He would have to be buying the firearms for a specific person who he knew was unable to pass the NICS background check.

Now, he did violate 18 USC 922(a)(1); it is unlawful for a person to engage in the business of dealing in firearms without a license.

Oh hes guilty of violating the law multiple times.

Including being a stupid phuck.

Regardless of the unconstitutionality of the laws, I cant find many phucks to give for him. Buying all those guns thru licensed dealers creating paper trails, he must love federal prisons.
 
Crippledtrigger said:
QuietM4 said:
Crippledtrigger said:
Those arent straw purchases, unless he was the BK of unlicensed gun runners.

Just saying

Agreed, not technically a straw purchase in the traditional sense. He would have to be buying the firearms for a specific person who he knew was unable to pass the NICS background check.

Now, he did violate 18 USC 922(a)(1); it is unlawful for a person to engage in the business of dealing in firearms without a license.

Oh hes guilty of violating the law multiple times.

Including being a stupid phuck.

Regardless of the unconstitutionality of the laws, I cant find many phucks to give for him. Buying all those guns thru licensed dealers creating paper trails, he must love federal prisons.

Oh, he's an idiot for sure. All that buying/selling was bound to catch up to him eventually. If they never showed up at crime scenes, he'd most likely never would have been discovered.

I'm curious what guns he was buying? The math works out to around $620-ish average per gun, but as the article says it was a conservative figure. 147 were the "same type and style". Are we talking SCCY and HiPoint, or are we talking about Draco AK pistols? Inquiring minds want to know!
 
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