So, I was at the 1500 this past weekend. I was there primarily to get a book signed by Michael Z. Williamson, since he pretty much always has his table there, but after that, I started looking for interesting revolvers to add to my collection (my new topic of interest). At one table, that only sells used guns that clearly come from estates and police auctions, I found a 1950 Colt Official Police .38 special, with a police rack number on the butt (starting with TPD... if anyone has an idea which police department that might have come from, please message me). It had a bad scratch on the barrel, but was in otherwise perfect mechanical shape. So, I haggled with the guy a bit, settled on a price I was okay with and sat down to do my paper work.
While I was doing this, a woman sat down in the chair next to me to start paperwork on a pink gripped Taurus auto (not sure the model). She was filling out the paper work a bit as I was chatting with the dealer. The next time I looked over, she was gone, and so was her paperwork. The guys behind the table noticed that and noticed that she took her partially filled out form and just sort of shrugged and put the pistol back where it was on the table.
Then a few minutes later, another woman comes over (with a man escorting her) and they discussed buying the same exact pistol, discussing on the previously agreed on price ($280 something). The woman asked the man if he had the cash and he said he did. So she proceeded to fill out her paperwork. I ended up leaving before they finished, but I assume the transfer went ahead and they took the gun home.
Now, to my un-expert eye, it certainly seemed awfully suspicious, where the guy had seemingly negotiated the price for the gun earlier, but the woman purchased it. Of course, it could have been all on the up and up. It could have been a boyfriend/husband/brother helping the young woman buy her first gun and the first woman who didn't finish her paperwork could have been in no way connected to the two who actually bought it and she had just changed her mind (though one of the dealers did say, after she took off, that he had the impression she wasn't interested in buying the gun if she had to fill out paperwork).
In the end, it's no skin off my nose either way. I just thought it was an interesting series of events. Clearly the dealer didn't think anything was improper (or improper enough that it could blow back on them) since they appeared to be willing to go through with the sale. And, I suppose that most criminals probably aren't really interested in a pinked gripped pistol... though I might be wrong about that.
While I was doing this, a woman sat down in the chair next to me to start paperwork on a pink gripped Taurus auto (not sure the model). She was filling out the paper work a bit as I was chatting with the dealer. The next time I looked over, she was gone, and so was her paperwork. The guys behind the table noticed that and noticed that she took her partially filled out form and just sort of shrugged and put the pistol back where it was on the table.
Then a few minutes later, another woman comes over (with a man escorting her) and they discussed buying the same exact pistol, discussing on the previously agreed on price ($280 something). The woman asked the man if he had the cash and he said he did. So she proceeded to fill out her paperwork. I ended up leaving before they finished, but I assume the transfer went ahead and they took the gun home.
Now, to my un-expert eye, it certainly seemed awfully suspicious, where the guy had seemingly negotiated the price for the gun earlier, but the woman purchased it. Of course, it could have been all on the up and up. It could have been a boyfriend/husband/brother helping the young woman buy her first gun and the first woman who didn't finish her paperwork could have been in no way connected to the two who actually bought it and she had just changed her mind (though one of the dealers did say, after she took off, that he had the impression she wasn't interested in buying the gun if she had to fill out paperwork).
In the end, it's no skin off my nose either way. I just thought it was an interesting series of events. Clearly the dealer didn't think anything was improper (or improper enough that it could blow back on them) since they appeared to be willing to go through with the sale. And, I suppose that most criminals probably aren't really interested in a pinked gripped pistol... though I might be wrong about that.