“We try to do our best to make sure everybody’s following the law to a ‘T,’” Goodman said. “It’s definitely not a place for criminals to come and congregate.”
Goodman said NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s investigation, which contends that both licensed and private dealers at Goodman’s shows violated federal firearms laws, was “downright unscrupulous.” He said footage from investigators’ hidden cameras, which purportedly shows dealers flouting rules on background checks, is misleadingly incomplete.
“The video doesn’t tell the whole picture,” Goodman said. “You only see what Mayor Bloomberg wants you to see.”
Watch the undercover video from the NYC investigation:
Bloomberg’s office hired 40 private detectives to attempt illegal purchases this summer at gun shows in Ohio, Tennessee and Nevada, including Goodman’s Hara show. They found that both licensed and private gun dealers were willing to sell firearms to detectives posing either as people admitting they couldn’t pass a background check or as obvious straw buyers. Bloomberg said firearms purchased at gun shows often are used in crimes elsewhere.
Bloomberg turned his investigative report over to the Justice Department’s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. An ATF spokeswoman said the agency is reviewing the findings to determine if a criminal investigation is warranted.
Montgomery County Sheriff Phil Plummer said the Goodman show has developed a reputation as a place where people can buy guns without a background check, often from non-vendors who bring guns for “hand-to-hand” sales on the show floor.
Plummer said he has been urging Dave Goodman to outlaw such sales, with no success. Goodman said people have a right to sell their property, including guns, at shows or any other venue.
Goodman said he is looking for licensed dealers willing to perform background checks for a nominal fee on behalf of unlicensed sellers.
Reacting to Goodman’s comment that police and federal agents could assist dealers with background checks, Plummer said, “it is not our job to show up and do background checks on people who want to purchase guns. That is Goodman’s responsibility.”
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