Atlanta Trafficking Firearms Attorney

The Second Amendment to the United States Constitution grants the right to own weapons, but federal laws regulate the sale, purchase, and possession of firearms. It is possible to get a criminal conviction for possessing, buying, or selling a gun even if you have never used that gun to injure someone. You can be sentenced to federal prison just for transporting a firearm to someone who cannot legally possess one. The consequences are bad enough if there is only one gun involved, but if the court finds that you are part of a conspiracy to traffic large numbers of weapons, your sentence could be decades in prison. All defendants in criminal cases in the United States, no matter their alleged crimes, have the right to the presumption of innocence and to representation by an attorney. Therefore, if you are facing weapons trafficking charges, it is essential that you contact the Atlanta firearms and gun offenses lawyers at Ghanayem & Rayasam.

Atlanta Weapons Trafficking Defense Lawyers

A legal purchase of a firearm includes many safeguards meant to protect against the danger of the owner using it irresponsibly or to create danger instead of causing it. Only licensed firearms dealers may sell guns legally, and firearms dealers must continually meet strict requirements in order to keep their licenses. People wishing to purchase firearms must undergo background checks, and those whose background checks show elevated risks for using the gun to commit violence maliciously or allowing someone other than the licensed owner to access it are not allowed to proceed with the purchase. If you get convicted of a felony, you lose the right to own guns.

Illegal possession of a firearm is a crime, but trafficking firearms is a worse crime, just as illegal possession of controlled substances is a crime but drug trafficking is much worse. Weapons trafficking charges often, but not always, occur in connection with other charges such as drug trafficking or conspiracy to commit another criminal act. Some firearms trafficking charges involve allegations of smuggling the weapons outside the United States.

What is Straw Purchase?

One of the most frequent charges related to trafficking firearms is called straw purchase. The term straw purchase means buying a gun in your name, when the intended recipient is someone else. Often, the recipient is someone who is not allowed to own firearms, such as a person with a felony conviction on their record. Even if the intended owner is allowed to own guns, buying the gun in your name instead of theirs is still the crime of straw purchase of a firearm. Likewise, you can get criminal charges if you transport a gun from the straw purchaser to the intended owner, even if you have no other role in the purchase or use of the gun.

An Atlanta criminal defense lawyer is your best hope is you are facing accusations of a federal crime like trafficking firearms. The gun crimes defense lawyers at Ghanayem & Rayasam in Atlanta, Georgia can help you fight your charges of weapons trafficking.