PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker signed a bill Monday that will require gun shops to post signs warning that it’s illegal to misrepresent who a gun purchase is for.
The bill is aimed at straw purchases, guns bought by one person then transferred to someone else, usually someone, such as a felon, who, by law, is forbidden from owning a gun. Straw purchases are illegal under federal law.
Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel says it’s a serious problem.
“We know that a large percentage of guns that come into the city are through straw purchases,” Bethel said.
Bethel welcomes the signs, though he said it may seem basic. He believes some straw purchasers are persuaded or coerced, unaware of the consequences.
“That young person, particularly in many cases women, are sitting in a cell block locked up, saying, 'I wish somebody had just told me I couldn’t do that because I didn’t know.'”
The signs are bright orange with 30-point type that not only outline the penalties but also advise people to “Stop! Think before it’s too late.”