DELRAY BEACH, Fla. — Federal, state and local law enforcement officials on Thursday launched a month-long public awareness campaign in Palm Beach County warning residents that buying a gun for someone who cannot legally own one is a serious federal crime that can carry up to 15 years in prison.
The "Don't Lie for the Other Guy" initiative — now in its 26th year — targets so-called straw purchases, in which someone with a clean record buys a firearm on behalf of a prohibited person such as a convicted felon, drug trafficker or gang member.
WATCH BELOW: Feds warn buying guns for prohibited persons is felony with up to 15 years in prison
The event was held at Wex Gunworks in Delray Beach and led by Joe Bartozzi, president and CEO of the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the trade association for the firearms industry. He was joined by Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Director Robert Cekada, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida Jason A. Reding Quiñones, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) and local police officials from Palm Beach County agencies.
"Don't lie for the other guy," officials repeated throughout the event. "It's not a favor — it's a federal crime."
Multimedia push across Palm Beach County
Bartozzi said the Palm Beach County campaign will run for about a month and is designed to blanket the area with warnings about straw purchases.
The outreach includes:
- 17 billboards along major highways and high-traffic roads
- Posters on public buses and transit shelters
- More than 1,200 radio spots on several top FM stations
- About 1.5 million digital ads on Facebook, Instagram and mobile devices, geo-fenced around Palm Beach County
Bartozzi said the campaign is paid for by members of the firearms industry, including Wex Gunworks, with additional federal funds in recent years supporting ATF's outreach.
He emphasized that federally licensed gun dealers are "the first line of defense" in stopping illegal purchases and said NSSF has worked with ATF for decades to train retailers to spot red flags.
ATF: Small agency, outsized role
ATF leadership at the event stressed that despite being a relatively small agency, it plays a central role in federal violent crime prosecutions.
Officials said ATF has:
- Seized more than 53,000 firearms from criminals since the start of the Trump administration
- Seized about 3.1 million rounds of ammunition
- Interdicted roughly 37,000 firearms in domestic trafficking cases
- Stopped nearly 6,000 firearms bound for Mexico, including belt-fed .50-caliber and other military-style weapons
ATF officials said criminals typically obtain guns in two main ways: through straw purchasers or by stealing firearms from homes and vehicles.
They warned that illegal trafficking does not just endanger local neighborhoods. Guns bought in South Florida often remain in the region to be used in violent crime, they said, but others are smuggled to the Caribbean, Central America and Mexico, where they can sell for many times their U.S. purchase price.
U.S. Attorney: 'We will prosecute you'
Representatives from the U.S. Attorney's Office said reducing violent crime in South Florida depends heavily on targeting weapons trafficking and felon-in-possession cases.
They delivered a blunt warning to would-be straw buyers:
- Lying on federal firearms purchase forms is a felony
- Offenders face up to 15 years in federal prison, hefty fines and possible restitution
- In cases tied to organized criminal groups, some defendants can face charges such as providing material support to a terrorist organization, with potential sentences of up to 30 years
"Don't risk your freedom for doing somebody a favor," one official said. "ATF will investigate you. The U.S. Attorney's Office will prosecute you, and if the evidence supports it, we're going to put you in prison."
Officials also pointed to recent undercover operations, including Operation Hurricane in Palm Beach County, which they said led to the seizure of 94 firearms, charges against more than 45 defendants, and the identification of a murder suspect.
FDLE and local police stress community role
Michael Stein, special agent in charge at FDLE's Miami Regional Operations Center, said FDLE analysts track statewide gun crime trends, assist in tracing firearms used in crimes back to their original point of sale and help identify intentional and unintentional straw buyers.
He urged residents to report suspicious purchasing behavior, emphasizing that community tips often trigger investigations.
"Helping someone illegally obtain a gun does not make you a friend; it makes you a participant in a crime," Stein said.
Delray Beach Police Chief Darrell Hunter said the campaign aligns with the city's goal of becoming one of the safest in the country. He pledged close collaboration with county, state and federal partners to keep guns out of the hands of criminals.
Assistant Chief Alfred Musco of the West Palm Beach Police Department said joint efforts with ATF and other agencies have already resulted in "significant arrests" and have put offenders "where they belong — in prison."
Inside the gun shop: How retailers screen buyers
Brandon Wexler, owner of Wex Gunworks, described how his staff evaluates customers and declines sales when something feels off.
He said employees look at behavior, group dynamics and who is actually asking the technical questions about the gun. If one person appears to be orchestrating the purchase while another attempts to pay, that can be a red flag.
When staff suspect a straw purchase, Wexler said, they not only refuse the sale but also notify their ATF contact.
"We're just not going to play with it," Wexler said, adding that as someone who also works in fire rescue, he has seen "the street" impact of gun violence.
Officials clarified that buying a bona fide gift for someone who can legally own a gun is not illegal, but they recommended purchasing a gift card instead so the recipient can complete the background check and purchase in their own name, avoiding any appearance of impropriety.
They also pushed back on the idea that federal agents are tracking lawful gun owners through technology such as license plate readers. ATF officials said such tools track vehicles and plates, not firearms registries, and are just one of many investigative aids used after a tip — often from a retailer — starts a case.
Throughout the event, speakers repeated the same message to South Florida residents: know the law, follow the law and don't lie for the other guy.
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