Billboard messages that started popping up in the Greater Nashville area are grabbing motorists’ attention.
“Buy a gun for someone who can’t, buy yourself 10 years in jail,” they read.
The message is part of a national campaign organized by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and that the National Shooting Sports Foundation has dubbed “Don’t Lie for the Other Guy.”
Purchased by NSSF, the billboards are part of a national effort to help prevent illegal “straw” purchases of firearms and remind people stiff penalties are in place for people who illegally purchase weapons for those not permitted to own firearms. A straw purchase is when a person unable to pass the required federal background check gets someone else who can pass the check to purchase the firearm for him.
To legally buy a gun, a person must be able to pass an FBI background check and comply with state and local laws. Anyone who violates the federal law and buys a gun for someone who can’t pass the FBI’s background check faces up to 10 years in jail or up to $250,000 in fines. (continue reading at Tennessean)