U.S. Attorney Michael Dunavant discusses penalties for straw gun purchases

Added: 2026-06-01

[00:00:00]Do not purchase or provide a firearm to a person who you know cannot have one.

[00:00:07]There is a significant legal consequence for that.

[00:00:12]As the special agent charge indicated under the Stop Illegal Trafficking in Firearms Act passed by Congress in 2022, they've increased now the penalties for engaging in straw purchasing and providing firearms to prohibited people, which includes up to a a sentence of up to 15 years in federal prison, and a $250,000 fine, and up to a 25-year prison sentence if the weapon is used to commit a felony, an act of terrorism, or crime of violence.

[00:00:40]We take this very seriously here at the US Attorney's Office. We stand with our partners at ATF and all of our state and local partners to actively and aggressively investigate and prosecute these cases, and hold straw purchasers responsible for introducing illegal firearms into our communities.