Last weekend, an auction held at his Florida home saw the item, described as “a one of a kind Trump Glock from the 45th President of the United States Donald J. Trump,” go up for bidding during a charity event. Pictures circulating on social media show the gun being presented at the auction, with news website Meidas Touch saying that bidding for the item began at $10,000.
However, the transaction could land the former U.S. president in considerable trouble, given that federal law prohibits those under indictment from transacting firearms. Trump is embroiled in active legal proceedings, having testified at a civil trial over the New York investigation into financial fraud at the Trump Organization. The former president has denied all wrongdoing and repeatedly said that the ongoing federal and civil cases against him are part of a political witch hunt.
This is probably a legal nothingburger.
It’s a big deal if Trump was personally selling the gun. But it’s almost certainly for sale by a corporation, or other legal fiction, that he owns or has an interest in. This is one reason we have the idea of a corporation. The corporation is a “person”, not the CEO, board of directors, etc. and can’t be held accountable, as a whole, for the actions of a single man. I know that sounds corrupt as hell, but how would you like to lose your job, or be held legally accountable for the actions of your superiors?
And if you don’t like it, and I mostly don’t, I invite you to read the first section of the US Code.
Guys, I doubt he listed the thing on eBay under his personal account. Feel me?
IANAL, so I hope someone more educated than I has an angle to nail him on this. I’ll take every coffin nail I can get on this man.
Maybe. But was it registered to him? He has to transfer that right? That probably still counts.
Ah, I see you’re under the impression that Florida requires firearm registration. While that would seem like a sensible measure, they do not.
There’s no gun registration in Florida, and it’s illegal to have a registration list.
Most states don’t have any registration requirements.
That was my thought. We know from statements made directly by trump that he purchased the gun relatively recently. Was it ever actually in his name? Based on the forms that I’ve had to fill out for purchasing both rifles and handguns, make it explicitly clear purchasing a gun for someone else isn’t cool. If it can be proven that someone else bought the gun for him, or he bought it with the intention of selling it, he can end up in more hot water. At the moment, it can be assumed either of those happened, but it can’t be proven.