By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com
The ATF is warning police departments that federal law enforcement officers are increasingly buying and illegally reselling unlicensed guns, which often are ending up in the hands of criminals.
The agency called the scheme an “emerging problem” that is adding to the flood of illegal firearms in the country the San Gabriel Valley Tribune reports.
Among the guns sold on the black market are “off-roster” guns that only can be purchased by law enforcement.
“Recently, ATF has discovered that some law enforcement officers who do not have a (Federal Firearms License) are purchasing ‘off roster’ firearms and reselling those firearms to non-law enforcement entities for a profit,” Special Agent in Charge of the ATF in Los Angeles Eric D. Harden wrote in an advisory.
Some of the guns are surfacing at crime scenes.
“In some instances, ATF has discovered officers who purchased more than 100 ‘off roster’ firearms that were subsequently transferred to non-law enforcement individuals,” Harden continued. “Such transactions potentially constitute violations of federal firearms laws, to include dealing firearms without a FFL, and lying on a federal firearms form when purchasing said firearm — also known as ‘straw purchasing.’ ”
