Conjecture Builds That Trump May Have Broken Law by Auctioning Off Gun at Mar-a-Lago
Speculation is swirling as to whether a special, one-of-its-kind gun that was reportedly auctioned off at Mar-a-Lago last week for charity could land former President Donald Trump in legal trouble.
The gun had Trump’s face engraved in it, as can be seen in video and photos the far-left media site MeidasTouch obtained and shared.
The Western Journal has not independently verified any of the website’s reporting, but the story was picked up by other outlets from Newsweek to The Washington Examiner.
MeidasTouch reported that last week, while raising money for a charity for dogs, numerous items went up for sale. Bidding for this particular item reportedly started at $10,000.
The firearm was a Glock handgun with a carry case that appeared to have the famed mug shot from Trump’s arraignment in Georgia.
The Western Journal previously reported that Trump, under current gun control laws, is currently unable to purchase a firearm anywhere in the U.S. because of the four separate criminal indictments he is facing.
Two of the cases are federal while one case was filed in New York and the other in the Peach State.
Writing for MeidasTouch, J.D. Wolf reported that someone in attendance placed a bid on it.
Wolf reported he could not verify if the gun personally belonged to Trump prior to its sale.
At the heart of the apparent controversy is language from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives that bars some people from being a party to gun transactions.
The ATF asks people during gun purchases a series of questions — including whether they are under any indictment that could see them spend at least one year in prison.
Trump meets the criteria for those who would be denied their right to purchase a gun based on mere allegations, which the agency confirmed to the Journal.
But the ATF also bars people under an indictment from selling firearms and ammunition.
The agency stated: “[Federal law] makes it unlawful for any person under indictment for a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year to ship, transport, or receive firearms or ammunition.
“Further, the [law] makes it unlawful to sell or otherwise dispose of firearms or ammunition to any person who is prohibited from shipping, transporting, receiving, or possessing firearms or ammunition.”
Under the criteria above, it appears as though Trump could get into trouble for auctioning off a firearm, as could the person who purchased the gun.
Newsweek reported, “The person who purchased the weapon could also be legally liable for assisting lawbreaking, given that Trump’s indictment and trial have been heavily publicized.”
But as MeidasTouch surrendered in its report, Trump would have to have been the owner of the gun before it was sold.
As of Tuesday, it was unclear who the gun’s owner was. It was also unclear if Trump knew of the gun sale.
The outlet spoke to Dave Aronberg, the State Attorney for Palm Beach County, Florida.
Aronberg said, “Trump will be in legal jeopardy if the gun actually was his and he knew it would be auctioned off. The fact that Trump attended the event is evidence that he knew of the sale. Trump will probably say, however, that the gun wasn’t really his and that the event organizers just used his name and mugshot to raise money for the charity.
“These unanswered questions could lead to a criminal investigation, and prosecutors could ask the court to decide whether this violates Trump’s pre-trial release. At present, there’s not enough to establish wrongdoing, but this could become yet another headache for the former president.”
The gun was reportedly sold on behalf of the Forever Family Rescue Foundation dog charity.
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