Miami Vice: Gun Industry Fights Crime (& So Can You)

Crockett and Tubbs have nothing on the National Shooting Sports Foundation!

It’s pretty easy to prove that America’s gun owners and manufacturers care about keeping guns out of the hands of people who shouldn’t have them. We believe in “gun control” just as much as anyone–our version just involves using both hands and the whole brain to keep the gun under our control. We don’t commit crimes, nor do we tolerate those who do. Towards that end, the National Shooting Sports Foundation has spent decades offering real solutions to crime that work, and work without violating our Second Amendment rights. The latest example is hitting Miami right now!

As part of an ongoing national effort to help prevent illegal “straw” purchases of firearms, the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) are reminding the greater Miami area public that stiff penalties are in place for individuals convicted of such unlawful purchases. The campaign is in its 21st year and is a cornerstone of the cooperative relationship of the firearm industry, law enforcement and retailers.

Billboard, radio, streaming audio and digital advertisements for the Don’t Lie for the Other Guy program have been purchased by NSSF in key locations throughout the region with the message: “Buy a gun for someone who can’t and buy yourself 10 years in jail. Don’t Lie for the Other Guy.”

The month-long public awareness campaign was officially launched today with a press conference program at Bass Pro Shops at Miami’s Dolphin Mall. Present at the event were representatives of the ATF Miami Field Division, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida and NSSF.

The Miami area “Don’t Lie” includes more than 64 outdoor billboards, digital bulletin boards and posters. There are also more than 152 radio spots playing and 750,000 digital streaming radio service impressions. On social media, “Don’t Lie” advertisements total nearly 2.4 million targeted geofenced online mobile advertisements and 1 million Facebook and Instagram impressions. Miami was chosen for this special campaign by ATF. No taxpayer dollars are used. The program is funded in full by the firearm industry.

“The firearm industry has always been focused on keeping firearms out of the hands of those who should not possess them. We are proud of our more than two-decade cooperative relationship with the ATF, the DOJ and the entire law enforcement community to assist them in their collective efforts to reduce criminal acquisition and misuse of firearms,” said Joe Bartozzi, NSSF President and CEO.

“Don’t Lie” is a cooperative program between ATF, DOJ and NSSF, the trade association for the firearm and ammunition industry. The effort was developed more than a two decades ago to raise public awareness about the seriousness of the crime of purchasing a firearm for someone who cannot legally do so. The program also helps ATF educate firearm retailers to be better prepared to deter potential straw purchases. The public campaign drives home the message that anyone attempting an illegal firearm purchase faces a stiff federal felony penalty of up to 10 years in jail or up to $250,000 in fines.

To legally purchase a firearm, a person must be able to pass an FBI National Instant Criminal Background Check System check, or NICS check, and fully comply with all state and local laws. When a criminal knows he or she cannot pass this check, they may try to induce a friend or other person to make the purchase on their behalf. This is known as a straw purchase and is a felony.

This public awareness campaign constitutes only part of the Don’t Lie for the Other Guy outreach effort. The full Don’t Lie for the Other Guy program, which also involves educating firearm retailers to better detect and prevent straw purchases, has been rolled out in major cities throughout the country. In the retailer segment, federal firearms licensees are provided a Don’t Lie for the Other Guy retailer kit containing a training video and informational brochure for storeowners and staff, as well as point-of-purchase displays aimed to deter illegal straw purchases.

Learn more about Don’t Lie for the Other Guy at www.dontlie.org.