Bill Increases Penalties For Straw Purchases Of Firearms

State Senator Dan Feyen voted for a bill that will increase the penalty for the straw purchases of firearms. The State Assembly passed it first and the Senate last week. The bill is on its way to the Governor’s desk to be signed into law. Feyen explains that a straw purchase involves someone with no criminal record buying a gun for someone that might not be able to purchase a gun because of their own record. He says, “It is one of those bills is necessary because we are finding that a lot of people are finding other people to buy the weapons legally, but then they are giving it to a criminal.” The state lawmaker from Fond du Lac says he hopes the new penalties will cut down on those types of purchase because we can’t afford to allow something like that to happen in our society.