Gun dealer employee sentenced after using store discount to buy guns for minors

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — An Indianapolis man was sentenced to a year and a day in federal prison after pleading guilty to lying about purchasing guns for minors.

According to the United States Attorney’s Office Southern District of Indiana, Traven Armstrong, 24, worked as an employee of a federally licensed firearms dealer from September 2020 to March 2021.

During that time period, Armstrong bought numerous handguns for other people using his employee discount. He also falsely represented himself as the actual buyer of the weapons.

Armstrong was later questioned by Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms and Explosives agents, and he admitted to investigators to straw purchasing the firearms for three specific people, all under the age of 21.

Straw purchasing is when a person not prohibited from buying firearms or owning firearms purchases a gun with the intention of giving it to someone prohibited from owning a firearm.

A federal judge also ordered that after his prison sentence is up, Armstrong must serve 3 years probation and pay a $500 fine.