Criminal Defense Lawyers

I Bought a Gun for My Boyfriend – Am I Facing 15 Years Federal

You thought you were helping. Your boyfriend asked you to pick something up for him. Maybe he was busy. Maybe he said the gun store was closed by the time he got off work. Maybe he handed you cash and said it was no big deal. So you went to the store, filled out the paperwork, bought the gun, and gave it to him. Now you’re staring at federal charges, and you’re realizing that “no big deal” might cost you the next fifteen years of your life.

Here’s what nobody told you before you walked into that gun store. When you checked “Yes” on Question 21a of the Form 4473 – the question asking if you’re the “actual buyer” of the firearm – and you weren’t, you committed a federal felony. It doesn’t matter if your boyfriend could have legally bought that gun himself. It doesn’t matter if he has a clean record. It doesn’t matter that you had no idea this was illegal. The crime is the lie on the form. The crime is buying a gun for someone else and saying you’re buying it for yourself. That’s called a straw purchase, and it carries up to 15 years in federal prison.

The federal government is very clear about this. The ATF even has a campaign called “Don’t Lie for the Other Guy.” The form itself – the one you signed – has a warning in bold print stating that falsely claiming to be the actual buyer is a crime punishable as a felony. You signed your name right below that warning. Now that signature is evidence.

What You Actually Did (And Why It’s a Federal Crime)

Lets break down exactly what happened, becuase most people dont understand how this works until its to late.

You walked into a licensed firearms dealer. You filled out ATF Form 4473, which is the federal form required for every gun purchase from a dealer. Question 21a on that form asks: “Are you the actual transferee/buyer of the firearm(s) listed on this form?” Theres a warning right under it that says answering yes when your actually buying for someone else is a federal felony.

You checked yes. But you were buying the gun for your boyfriend. Maybe he gave you the money. Maybe he was waiting in the car. Maybe he texted you which gun to get. Dosent matter. The moment you checked that box knowing you were buying it for someone else, you committed a federal crime under 18 USC 932.

Heres the part that confuses everyone. Even if your boyfriend could of walked into that same store and legally bought that exact same gun himself, you still committed a felony. The crime isnt giving a gun to someone who cant have one – thats a seperate charge. The crime is lying on the form. The crime is saying your the buyer when your not.

This is critical to understand. Most people focus on wheather the other person is a felon or prohibited from owning guns. Thats not the main issue. The main issue is Question 21a. Did you lie about being the actual buyer? If yes, thats the federal crime.

The Numbers You Need to Understand Right Now

Heres were it gets wierd. In 2013, ATF identified 48,321 cases involving straw purchases. Guess how many were prosecuted? 44. Not forty-four thousand. Forty-four.

In 2017, there were 112,000 firearms transactions denied becuase of false information on the forms. Those denials were investigated by ATF agents. The number that actualy went to court? 12.

So your probly thinking, “They almost never prosecute these cases. Maybe I’ll be fine.”

Wrong.

The reason your reading this article is becuase something happened. Something happened with that gun, or something happened in your boyfriends life, or something triggered an investigation. ATF dosent randomly pull old 4473s and start investigating. They investigate when guns show up at crime scenes. They investigate when someone gets arrested with a gun they shouldnt have. They investigate when patterns emerge – like one person buying multiple guns in a short period.

If your being investigated, your not in the 48,277 cases they ignored. Your in the 44 they decided to pursue. And when they pursue, they win.

The maximum penalty under 18 USC 932 is 15 years federal prison. If that gun was used in a felony, terrorism, or drug trafficking, it goes up to 25 years. Even just lying on the Form 4473 – seperate from the straw purchase statute – carries up to 10 years.

Why ATF Picked Your Case (When They Ignore Thousands)

Think about it. Out of tens of thousands of straw purchase violations, they prosecute maybe a hundred per year. So why you? Why now?

Heres how the selection system works. ATF dosent have the resources to prosecute everyone. They pick cases that make examples. High-profile crimes. Multiple guns. Clear paper trails. Cases were the gun ended up somewhere very bad.

Something happened with that gun. Thats why your here.

Maybe your boyfriend got arrested for something else, and he was carrying the gun you bought him. Now theyre looking at the 4473 and seeing your name. Maybe the gun was recovered at a crime scene – a robbery, an assault, a shooting. ATF traced it back to the store, pulled your paperwork, and started asking questions. Maybe your boyfriend is a felon, and now theyre building a case for illegal possession AND the straw purchase that made it possible.

The prosecution inversion is brutal. They almost never prosecute straw purchases… until the gun gets used in something serious. Then suddenly its a priority. Then suddenly your the example.

ATF traces 654,000 guns per year. They can trace 80% of recovered crime guns back to the original purchaser. If a gun you bought shows up at a crime scene, your name is in there hands within 48 hours. They know who you are. They know what you signed. And they know you lied.

The Burnsville Case – What Happens When It Goes Wrong

Let me tell you about Ashley Anne Dyrdahl. She was in a relationship with Shannon Cortez Gooden. She bought guns for him. Maybe she thought she was helping. Maybe she was scared of him. Maybe she just didnt think it was a big deal.

On February 18, 2024, Gooden used those guns to kill three first responders in Burnsville, Minnesota – two police officers and a paramedic firefighter. Then he killed himself.

Ashley Dyrdahl was federaly indicted on 11 counts. Conspiracy to violate federal firearms laws. Five counts of making straw purchases. Five counts of making false statements on Form 4473. Shes facing up to 15 years in federal prison. Her face was in every news outlet in the country. Her life is over.

She didnt pull the trigger. She bought the guns. And now shes going to prison.

This is the cascade nobody thinks about when there boyfriend asks them to “just pick something up.” You buy the gun. He does something terrible with it. You spend the next decade or more behind bars while the whole country knows your name.

Dyrdahls case is extreme. But every straw purchase case has the potential to become this. You dont control what happens to that gun after you hand it over. You control wheather you buy it in the first place.

“I Didn’t Know It Was Illegal” – Why That Won’t Save You

Heres the uncomfortable truth. “I didnt know it was illegal” is not a defense to federal straw purchase charges. Ignorance of the law dosent excuse the crime.

Think about what that means. You can genuinly, honestly, truly not know that buying a gun for someone else is a federal crime. It dosent matter. Your still guilty. Your still going to prison.

But heres the inversion. “I didnt know he was prohibited” might be a defense – if you can prove it.

If your boyfriend was a felon, and you knew he was a felon, and you bought him a gun anyway, your facing enhanced penalties. But if you genuinly didnt know he couldnt legally own a gun, that changes things. It dosent make the straw purchase legal, but it might affect sentencing.

Read that carefully. Not knowing the law isnt a defense. Not knowing your boyfriends criminal history might be.

The problem is, prosecutors are very good at proving you knew. Did you ever have a conversation about his record? Did you know he went to prison? Did you know he had a domestic violence conviction? Did you know about any protective orders? Your text messages, your social media, your conversations with friends – all of that is evidence.

What Your Boyfriend Is Probably Doing Right Now

Heres something you need to understand about how federal cases work. Your boyfriend is probly talking to prosecutors. And hes not protecting you.

Federal prosecutors have a tool called cooperation. They offer reduced sentences to people who help them build cases against others. Your boyfriend is facing charges to – maybe felon in possession, maybe conspiracy, maybe other things. Prosecutors are telling him he can get a lighter sentence if he testifies against you.

Think about the relationship cascade. He asked you to buy the gun. You said yes becuase you loved him. He used it or got caught with it. Now your both arrested. And the prosecutors are telling him: “She bought the gun. Thats the crime. Help us prove it, and well help you.”

Ive seen this happen over and over. The person who asked for the straw purchase turns states witness against the person who actualy made it. They get reduced sentences. You get the full weight of federal prosecution.

The conspiracy truth is brutal. If he couldnt buy a gun becuase hes a felon, and you bought it for him, youve both committed federal crimes. But your the one with your signature on the 4473. Your the paper trail. Your the easier conviction.

Dont assume loyalty goes both ways. The relationship that got you into this mess is probly not going to protect you from it. Federal prosecutors are experts at turning co-defendants against each other. They offer deals. They make promises. They explain to your boyfriend exactly how much time he could avoid by cooperating. And most people take that deal.

By the time you find out hes testifying against you, its usually in discovery – the documents your lawyer recieves from the prosecution. You’ll read his statement. You’ll see exactly what he told them. And you’ll realize he threw you under the bus to save himself.

The Money Trail They Already Found

Heres something most people dont think about. ATF dosent just look at the 4473. They look at the money.

If your boyfriend Venmod you $500 the day before you bought a $500 gun, that transaction is sitting in Venmos records. If he withdrew cash and gave it to you, and you deposited that cash, theres a bank record. If you paid for the gun with a card thats linked to his account somehow, thats evidence. If you texted him asking “how much should I bring” or “which one do you want,” those texts are evidence.

Federal investigators pull phone records, bank records, Venmo records, Zelle records, Cash App records. They subpoena all of it. They build a timeline showing when money moved from him to you, when you bought the gun, and when the gun ended up with him. By the time they charge you, they often have a complete picture of the transaction that you thought was private.

The paper trail dosent lie. And it almost always exists.

Even cash transactions leave traces. Security cameras at ATMs. Witnesses who saw the exchange. Text messages referencing the money. People think cash is untraceable, but in a federal investigation, nothing is truly invisible.

The Defenses That Actually Work (And Those That Don’t)

OK so heres the good news. There are defenses that actualy work. But you need to understand them, and you need a lawyer who knows federal firearms law.

What Works:

The bona fide gift defense is real. If you bought a gun as a genuine surprise gift for someone who could legally own it, and no money changed hands, thats not a straw purchase. Buying your dad a hunting rifle for his birthday with your own money = legal. Having your dad give you money to buy him a rifle = straw purchase.

The difference between legal and 15 years is who paid.

Lack of intent to deceive can work if you genuinly misunderstood the form. This is hard to prove, but its possible. If you thought “actual buyer” meant something different then what the goverment says it means, you might have a defense.

Illegal search and seizure can get evidence thrown out. If law enforcement violated your rights getting the evidence, your lawyer can fight to exclude it.

What Dosent Work:

• “I didnt know it was illegal.” Dosent work.
• “He gave me the money as a gift afterward.” Dosent work. Prosecutors will argue this was pre-arranged.
• “He promised to pay me back later.” Definately dosent work. Thats actualy more evidence of straw purchasing.
• “He could of bought it himself.” Dosent matter. The crime is lying on the form, not enabling a prohibited person.
• “I was in an abusive relationship.” This might affect sentencing, but it dosent make the straw purchase legal. Women in abusive relationships are disproportionately charged with this crime, and its a tragedy. But its still a crime.

What Happens Next If You Don’t Get a Lawyer

Straw purchasing is a federal crime. That means federal prison. And federal prison is different then state prison in ways that matter alot.

Theres no parole in the federal system. If your sentenced to 10 years, your serving at least 85% of that – eight and a half years minimum. Federal sentencing guidelines are rigid and calculated based on factors that add up fast.

Federal prosecutors win more then 90% of there cases. Thats not becuase theyre always right. Its becuase they dont bring cases they cant win. They have unlimited resources, teams of investigators, and years to build there case. You have whatever you can afford.

Every gun traces back to someone. That 4473 you signed is sitting in the dealers records, or in ATFs National Tracing Center if the dealer went out of business. They can find it. They will find it. And they will use it.

If you dont have a federal criminal defense attorney right now, get one. Not tomorrow. Not next week. Now. Every day you wait is a day prosecutors are building there case while you do nothing. Every conversation you have without a lawyer is potentially evidence. Every text you send, every social media post, every phone call – all of it can be used against you.

The time to fight this was before you bought the gun. That time is gone. The time to fight it now is with a lawyer who understands federal firearms law, understands the Form 4473 defenses, and understands how to negotiate with federal prosecutors.

15 years is a long time. Its longer then most relationships. Its longer then most careers. Dont face it without a lawyer who knows what theyre doing.

The irony of your situation is devastating. You probly thought you were doing something harmless. Maybe even something nice. Helping your boyfriend get something he wanted. Running an errand. Being supportive. Now your facing the possibility of spending the prime years of your life in a federal prison cell, separated from your family, your friends, your career, everything you know.

And heres the thing nobody wants to say out loud. By the time you get out, that relationship will be long gone. The boyfriend you bought that gun for? Hes either in prison himself, or hes moved on, or hes the one who testified against you to save his own skin. Either way, hes not waiting for you. Nobody waits 15 years.

The question isnt wheather you made a mistake. You made a mistake. The question is wheather that mistake costs you everything. Thats what a federal defense lawyer can help you figure out. Thats why you need one now, not later. Not when the indictment comes. Not when your in custody. Now.

Every hour that passes is an hour prosecutors are working on your case. They dont take breaks. They dont wait for you to be ready. They build cases while defendants sit around hoping it will all go away.

It wont go away. But with the right lawyer, you might be able to make it survivable.