Three Wilmington gun shops put on national list linked to firearm sales used for crimes

Molly Wilhelm, Wilmington StarNews

Three Wilmington gun dealers have been identified by USA TODAY as part of a list from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), outlining retailers whose firearm sales have been linked to crimes in 2023.

Shops that have sold at least 25 guns traced to crimes in 2023 that were purchased within the past three years are included on the list.

A Freedom of Information Act request from USA TODAY led to the release of more than 1,300 gun shop locations nationwide, recorded as part of the ATF's Demand 2 Program. The Demand 2 Program aims to trace firearms used in crimes, focusing on prohibiting illegal trafficking and sales.

The following Wilmington firearm stores were included on the list published by USA TODAY:

  • Backwater Guns

    • 1024 S Kerr Ave., Wilmington, N.C. 28403

  • Jim's Pawn and Guns

    • 4212 Oleander Drive, Wilmington N.C. 28403

  • Sportsman's Warehouse #177

    • 4715a New Centre Drive, Wilmington, N.C. 28405

Each of these stores was contacted by StarNews regarding their inclusion on the list, but neither employees nor managers provided an immediate comment in response as of Thursday afternoon.

These companies with Federal Firearm Licenses (FFL) face greater scrutiny from the ATF, with requirements to submit annual reports and additional quarterly reports about used firearm purchases.

Moreover, being included on the list is "also a warning to those shops," Nick Penzenstadler, reporter with USA TODAY, wrote. "Criminals are targeting you for gun trafficking and straw purchasing – where people legally prohibited from buying firearms enlist a stand-in purchaser."

It is important to note that inclusion on the list itself is not an indication of wrongdoing, Penzenstadler wrote, citing an ATF spokesperson who said that multiple factors, "including geography, sales volume, secondary market transfers by an original lawful purchaser, and the level of sophistication of firearm traffickers, may be involved in a traced crime gun."

Shops and pawn dealers in the program represent about 3% of the roughly 80,000 licensees nationwide, according to the article.

More than 70 other North Carolina firearm dealers are on the list, with shops in Fayetteville, Durham, Winston-Salem, Greensboro, Raleigh, Henderson, Rocky Mount, and more. The full list can be found on the USA TODAY webpage here.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Three Wilmington, NC gun shops on ATF list for sales linked to crimes

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