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NY woman charged in connection with Christmas Eve killing of 2 firefighters

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“She told the seller of these guns, Gander Mountain in Henrietta, New York, that she was to be the true owner and buyer of the guns instead of William Spengler,” he said. “It is absolutely against federal law to provide any materially false information related to the acquisition of firearms.”

Obviously a serious problem. That Nguyen will be charged does not help Spengler's victims one bit. These kinds of straw purchases will continue, which is a main reason that a. The NRA has not provided any ideas on how to dramatically reduce them. (There is, I believe, a rather simple way that is fully compliant with the Second Amendment.)

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The accused woman's brother, Steven Nguyen, told the Democrat and Chronicle newspaper of Rochester that Spengler stole the guns from Dawn Nguyen which is also what she has stated.

We don't know all the facts yet.

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The accused woman's brother, Steven Nguyen, told the Democrat and Chronicle newspaper of Rochester that Spengler stole the guns from Dawn Nguyen which is also what she has stated.

LOL! Right.

And she reported that theft to the police when?

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And she reported that theft to the police when?

New York law requires the owner of any firearm to report its loss or theft to the police within 24 hours of discovery.

Nguyen didn't report it because the police would have conducted a simple canvass of the neighborhood and certainly would have discovered the guy who lived "next door" -- the guy she bought the weapons for.

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Golly yabits, you've seen the evidence, have you?

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Yabits - The NRA has been consistent in calling for federal prosectors to enforce existing laws to punish straw purhasers like Ms. Nguyen. Your point would be valid if somehow the NRA had tried to water down or eliminate the law against making false statements on a firearm transfer record.

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Suzu1 - Along with laws to punish straw purchasers, it is also critical to remove any semblance of "plausible deniability" by making it mandatory to report a stolen or missing firearm to the authorities within 24 hours of discovery as New York law requires.

Historically, the NRA has opposed those laws.

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Golly yabits, you've seen the evidence, have you?

It's called "common sense."

Would the police have placed her under arrest if Spengler did steal her weapons and she reported it as New York law requires? No. But If so, her lawyer would have gotten her out in a New York minute instead of disconnecting his phone.

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He should have just bought them from a private seller and avoided all of the hassle.

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And... how is the school shooting related in any possible way worthy of being mentioned in this article??? (Other than just to make it seem like guns are killing everyone in the universe. Which OF COURSE they are....)

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yabs, if indeed she was a straw buyer, then absolutely she should be duly prosecuted. One thing that irks me is the "trial by media" that has developed. One of the most important aspects of the concept of USA is or was the presumption of innocence until proven guilty in a court of law. But today, it seems, an instant public lynching is preferred. That's not the American Spirit, is it?

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And... how is the school shooting related in any possible way worthy of being mentioned in this article???

The .223-caliber Bushmaster rifle, which had a combat-style flash suppressor, is similar to the one used by the gunman who massacred 20 children and six women in a Newtown, Connecticut, elementary school earlier this month.

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yabs, if indeed she was a straw buyer, then absolutely she should be duly prosecuted.

Let's consider just how easy it is for a straw buyer to "conclude" a purchase: After acquiring the weapons sought by the actual buyer -- in this case Spengler -- a straw buyer like Nguyen would let him know where the weapons are and when he could conveniently come to a pre-arranged place to "pick them up." The straw buyer could then maintain that the weapons were taken/stolen from them. (As Nguyen's family attests.)

The only tool an unsuspecting public has to address this situation is a law requiring a buyer/owner to immediately report a stolen weapon. (Does the NRA or do gun-supporters have a better idea for addressing it? If so, let's hear it.)

Nguyen, therefore, was bound by New York law to report a theft within 24 hours. Failure to do so should be considered a felony offence if the firearm turns out to be used in the commission of a crime. (New Jersey has this exemplary law on its books, and gives the gun owner 48 hours to report a missing weapon.) If Nguyen had reported the weapons stolen, there would have been no reason whatsoever for the police to arrest her. So it starts with her basic failure as a citizen to comply with the law.

But today, it seems, an instant public lynching is preferred.

I believe that the police were justified in arresting Nguyen if there was no report of the weapons being stolen. "Lynching" is a term that has a specific meaning, and it does not apply to Nguyen since she does not have to fear for her life. Its use might be more justified when applied to the two fire-fighters, however.

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Congratulations yabits. You just repeated the very sentence I was saying was inane to include in the article. Thanks for that...

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