Okay.....just skimmed through the posts....so I might have gotten some details wrong.
Now, if I recall, in my area, a few gun shops have put up their posters about 'straw purchases'. My buddy allowed me to look at the stuff they sent on that. Looks like some group and the fed got together to make an education pack to help dealers 'identify straw purchase deals'.
Now if this tape shows the two in the store, one saying he/she is a con and the other saying I'm buying the gun. I think the dealer should have denied the sale...... because rigth then and there it is a straw purchase. If I was a customer standing there and heard this.....shoot, I'd be able to tell it was a straw purchase.
It's another story if the con came in and looked around, bud didn't say anything. Then, about thirty min later, his buddy comes in to buy the weopon. If the dealer did not see the two together, then he/she would assume that it's two seperate customers.
I'm sorry to say, but the dealer made a fubar. Especially if the FFL holder received the packet w/ the posters and info on straw purchases. I saw that packet. I saw the 'questions' that the FFL/rep should be asking. If I recall, one of them was, "Is this for you?" "Is this going to be a gift?" The FFL made a bad call...... busness must have been slow or something. Or figured that, oh this one little time won't hurt..... it ended up hurting big time.