Nashville Campaign Targets Illegal Gun Purchases

To: ALL MEDIA
For immediate release

October 7, 2015

For more information contact:

Mike Bazinet
203-426-1320

Nashville Campaign Targets Illegal Gun Purchases

NSSF, ATF, U.S. Attorney, Metro Nashville Police
Say ‘Don’t Lie for the Other Guy’

NEWTOWN, Conn.—As part of an ongoing national effort to help prevent illegal “straw” purchases of firearms, the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) are reminding the public in Nashville and the capital region that stiff penalties are in place for individuals convicted of such purchases.

Billboard 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 30-day Nashville public awareness campaign was officially launched today with a short program at the BassPro Shop, 323 Opry Mills Drive, Nashville. Speaking at the event were representatives of the ATF Nashville Field Division, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Tennessee, the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department and NSSF.

More than 16 million weekly media impressions will be delivered via billboards around Nashville while more than 400 30-second radio spots will air weekly on nine stations during the campaign — all funded by the firearms industry. Nashville was chosen for this campaign in consultation with ATF.

“As evidenced today, the firearms industry is proud of its longstanding cooperative relationship with the ATF and the entire law enforcement community by assisting them in their efforts to combat the criminal acquisition and misuse of firearms,” said NSSF Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF senior vice president and general counsel.

“Don’t Lie” is a cooperative program ATF and NSSF, the trade association for the firearms and ammunition industry. The effort was developed more than a decade 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 firearms dealers so they can 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 and fully comply with state and local laws. When a criminal knows he cannot pass this check, he may try to induce a friend or other person to make the purchase on his behalf, which 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 firearms 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.

Some of the Nashville area billboard locations are provided below:

Digital Billboards:

• I-40 @ Spence Lane (north side, facing east)
• I-24/40 west of Hermitage Ave (north side facing, east and west)
• I-24 .25 miles east of Shelby Exit 49 (south side, facing west)
• I-65 .5miles south of Rivergate Parkway (east side, facing north)

Static Billboards:

• Briley Pkwy .1m north of Elm Hill Pike (east side, facing north)  
• I-40/65 .3 mi north of Charlotte Ave (east side, facing south)
• I-40 1050 feet west of Exit 212, Feslers Lane (south side, facing east)
• I-40 west @ Jefferson (south side, facing west)
• Harding .4 miles east of I-24 (south side, facing east)

Radio stations airing public service announcements are: WCJK-FM, WGFX-FM, WJXA-FM, WLAC-AM, WNFN-FM, WNRQ-FM, WRVW-FM, WUBT-FM and WWTN-FM.

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

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About NSSF
The National Shooting Sports Foundation is the trade association for the firearms industry. Its mission is to promote, protect and preserve hunting and the shooting sports. Formed in 1961, NSSF has a membership of more than 12,000 manufacturers, distributors, firearms retailers, shooting ranges, sportsmen’s organizations and publishers. For more information, visit www.nssf.org.