A Profile of Gun Owners

[billh58]

9. This may shed some light on your question:

http://smartgunlaws.org/straw-purchases-policy-summary/

"In June of 2000, ATF published a study of 1,530 firearms trafficking investigations conducted during the period July 1996 – December 1998. That study, Following the Gun: Enforcing Federal Laws Against Firearm Traffickers, found that straw purchasing was the most common channel of illegal gun trafficking, accounting for almost one-half (46%) of all investigations, and associated with nearly 26,000 illegally trafficked firearms.

Gun shows and flea markets are a “major venue for illegal trafficking” and thus have been the target of law enforcement trafficking and straw purchasing investigations. During ATF’s investigations of gun shows, the agency found that FFLs committed numerous federal crimes at shows, including facilitating straw purchases. Subsequent ATF investigations at gun shows from 2004 – 2006 uncovered “widespread” straw purchasing at shows, where guns were diverted to “convicted felons and local and international gangs.”

New York City officials recently conducted their own investigation at gun shows across the U.S. to test whether, among other things, FFLs would sell to someone who appeared to be a straw purchaser. New York’s investigation found that 16 out of 17 (or 94% of) FFLs approached by investigators willingly sold to an apparent straw purchaser."

Again, no real surprises here...