CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives ' Charlotte Field Division, along with federal prosecutors, police, and gun industry advocates, has launched a major public awareness campaign in Charlotte to crack down on illegal gun purchases, warning residents that buying firearms for someone who cannot legally purchase them could result in federal prison time.
The month-long "Don't Lie for the Other Guy™" campaign, now in its 25th year, targets straw purchases, or when someone buys a gun for another person who cannot legally do so themselves. The initiative brings together the ATF's Charlotte Field Division, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of North Carolina , the National Shooting Sports Foundation , and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Depa