BOISE – A federal grand jury in Boise returned an indictment on November 13, 2024, charging Luke James Estep, 27, of Boise, with dealing firearms without a license, U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit announced today.

The two-count indictment alleges that in October 2024, Estep, who is not a licensed firearms dealer, was selling firearms.  If convicted, he faces a maximum of five years in federal prison and up to a $250,000 fine.  A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Estep was arrested on November 14 and booked with the Ada County Jail.  Estep appeared on Monday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Debora K. Grasham and entered a plea of not guilty.  A jury trial is scheduled for January 6, 2025, at the federal courthouse in Boise, before Senior U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Meridian Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine Horwitz is prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

Originally Posted By joe_sun:
Just my own story but a while back I had some financial issues and put up a number of guns for sale on Zidaho and I always listed them one at a time and it was about once every few months as needed to pay bills. One dude hit me up every single time to buy every gun, sometimes others got the gun first but he would always reach out. I did meet him a few times and he always asked me what else I was selling that I hadn't listed. Wasn't pushy when I said that I didn't have any more and he always asked why I was selling them which is a pretty normal question but also if the dude was a glowie you could incriminate yourself.

Wouldn't surprise me if he was a fed and finding people selling on Zidaho and 208guns would be pretty easy.

Originally Posted By EvoXGunner:



I just put up something for sale on Zidaho. Is there a limit to how many you can sell at a time?

Originally Posted By EvoXGunner:



I just put up something for sale on Zidaho. Is there a limit to how many you can sell at a time?

Originally Posted By CQB762:
Having sold a rifle last week I decided to take it to Idaho Guns to conduct the transfer. Granted it was going out of state and I understood that I could ship directly to the buyers FFL but on a $1,500 gun $25 transfer didn’t seem like a big deal to cover. If selling in state I would probably would have done the same thing. What are your guys thoughts about this?

Obviously I’m not talking about selling or giving a gun to a family member, and not talking about changing any laws about personal sales in state. But talking about $25 cheep insurance against charges, or wanting to keep your gun that can be traced back to you getting into the hands of illegal aliens, or some drug dealer.

Originally Posted By joe_sun:


I don’t think there is a defined limit set.

Originally Posted By CQB762:
Having sold a rifle last week I decided to take it to Idaho Guns to conduct the transfer. Granted it was going out of state and I understood that I could ship directly to the buyers FFL but on a $1,500 gun $25 transfer didn’t seem like a big deal to cover. If selling in state I would probably would have done the same thing. What are your guys thoughts about this?

Obviously I’m not talking about selling or giving a gun to a family member, and not talking about changing any laws about personal sales in state. But talking about $25 cheep insurance against charges, or wanting to keep your gun that can be traced back to you getting into the hands of illegal aliens, or some drug dealer.

Originally Posted By AASG:

I'm not sure if going through a dealer means you're not dealing without a license. (Imo it's a good idea like you said) If a person is regularly buying and selling at a profit, even through a dealer, it seems like that's dealing.