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Straw purchasing of firearms intended for other people is a federal crime punishable by ten years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

A straw purchase is an illegal firearm purchase where the actual buyer, who is unable to pass a background check or doesn’t want his or her name associated with the purchase, uses another person to purchase the firearm for them. Straw purchasing is one of the most common ways criminals acquire guns, and research has shown that women account for 80% of all straw purchases nationwide.

While men are overwhelmingly perpetrators of gun-related violence, women play a key enabling role. Women sometimes straw purchase voluntarily, but are often coerced out of friendship, fear, or misguided love.

Most women involved in straw purchasing guns are unaware they are committing a serious crime, until they are being questioned by police because the gun has been connected to shootings and other violent crimes in their own neighborhoods.

The primary factors driving women in straw purchasing are manipulative relationships, drug addiction, economic necessity, and complete lack of awareness. Often, women do not realize that straw purchasing is a crime, never mind one punishable by more than a decade in prison in some states.

We would like to thank Mothers In Charge for the content. Click HERE to view the original study.