NYC sues more gun dealers

The city is suing a dozen more out-of-state gun shops that it says are responsible for many of the illegal weapons that end up in New York City.

The lawsuit filed Thursday asks the federal court to order supervision of and extra training for the gun dealers in Georgia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Virginia.

This second lawsuit brings the number of gun shops sued by the city to 27 since May. Six of the original 15 gun dealers sued have settled, allowing scrutiny of their sales and inventory.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg also announced Thursday that the court has appointed the former head of the Enron Task Force, Andrew Weissmann, to monitor some of the businesses that settled their suits.

Weissmann, a former assistant U.S. attorney, will have wide access to the dealers' records and the authority to inspect their inventories and monitor them with cameras or additional undercover operations.

The dealers also agreed to pay the city penalties if Weissmann discovers that they are allowing "straw sales" or other illegal purchases.

A straw sale is where one person fills out the paperwork to purchase a gun meant for someone else. The scam is often used by those who cannot own firearms, like convicted felons.

Last spring, the city hired private investigators wearing hidden cameras to attempt making straw purchases at about 45 out-of-state dealers.

They focused on shops where hundreds of guns have been traced back there from New York City killings, muggings and other crimes in recent years.

Bloomberg said the majority of gun dealers refused the sale, but those who allegedly allowed it have been targeted in the lawsuits.

At John's Gun & Tackle Room in Easton, Pa., owner John Coscia said he is careful about straw purchases and was surprised to be named in the lawsuit.

"I don't know what happened here. You can't tell all the time if it's a straw buyer, if the person comes in and looks legal," Coscia said.

Some dealers who settled have said they oppose Bloomberg's intervention but ultimately welcome the scrutiny of a special master. They say it is a burden to stay on top of every purchase and ensure that their employees always make the right call.

The cases for those who have not settled are still in federal court in Brooklyn. Some shops have said the city has no jurisdiction because the dealers are not doing business in New York.