Questions to Gauge Understanding of Straw Purchases
§ What, to the extent of your knowledge, is a straw purchase?
A straw purchase is one in which a customer buys a gun for another who is incapable or unwilling to buy it; I’m not sure; When you sell to a person who isn’t going to use the gun. This is the simplest of the questions attempting to gauge understanding of straw purchases. Without even a definition of a straw purchase, employees will not be able to stop straw purchases.
§ Describe a typical straw purchaser.
Normally female, sometimes accompanied by a man who is also looking at or inspecting the firearms; They normally don’t know very much about weapons, maybe they go in and out of the store a few times to talk to someone; Perhaps gun store employees understand straw purchases, but are unaware of what they should be looking for.
§ What signs do you look for when watching for straw purchases?
Generally really nervous, they don’t know much about guns; A customer that is followed around by another person, who handles the guns but then doesn’t purchase them. This question attacks the same problem as the one above. If employees have a solid understanding of the definition of straw purchases and know how to pick out a straw purchase, perhaps they are better at stopping them.
§ What is the consequence (or punishment) for allowing a straw purchase to occur?
Most of the time nothing, but in theory maybe the owner gets his license revoked; This gun store is very strict about straw purchases, so I would be fired if I was known to have been involved in a straw purchase. This question tests the employee’s knowledge of the law surrounding the punishment for straw purchases and the workings of the regulatory system currently in place, and also the strictness of the specific gun store.
§ What means could be implemented to test if a buyer is a straw purchaser? Have you ever implemented any of these techniques?
You could ask the buyer more questions. If they got confused or had to consult another person, you might have a better indication. I’ve questioned a few people, and sometimes they leave after the interaction.
§ If a customer came to you and asked to buy a gun for his or her girlfriend or boyfriend because s/he “needed” it, what would be your response?
I would not sell the gun; As long as it wasn’t for a criminal, I would sell it. This puts their knowledge to the test. Maybe there is some disconnect between the understanding of the law and their ability to put it into practice.
Experience with Straw Purchases
§ Did you receive any training on straw purchases when you were first employed? Did you receive any instructions from management on how to deal with straw purchases?
Yes or No; The manager simply told us not to ask questions. Possibly, dealers of gun stores with more crime gun traces instruct their employees not to interfere with straw purchases. Does this training correlate with an employees understanding of straw purchases and their ability to stop them.
§ Have you ever suspected a customer of being a straw purchaser and gone through with the sale anyway? What was your reasoning?
Yes, there have been a few times when I thought a buyer might be doing a straw purchase, but I had no definitive proof, and I didn’t want to lose the sale. This measures an employee’s experience and history with straw purchases.
§ How likely are you to call out a straw purchase? What affects that decision?
As long as they haven’t given me definitive proof that they’re doing something illegal, I’ll make the sale. It’s not my job to judge people for their purchase. Are those who are trained for straw purchases more likely to try to stop straw purchases?
§ Given a scenario in which you’re uncertain, would you continue with the purchase? Why or why not?
It depends if the person looks trustworthy. If I thought they were going to use it for crime, I wouldn’t continue with the purchase.
