State police and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are looking into a report of 30 firearms unaccounted for at Sportsman’s Supply.
The report stems from charges filed against the store’s previous owner in June.
According to State Police, Sportsman Supply, 245 Freeport Road in Summit Township, reported the firearms unaccounted for on July 28.
Jason Cervone, the lawyer representing the current owners of Sportsman’s Supply, said the investigation is ongoing, but he was able to clarify the firearms were not stolen.
“If you look at the previous charges filed, it's just the improper registration,” Cervone said. “It's not missing firearms. I can say 30 guns have not been stolen.”
The guns in question range from handguns, to shotguns and rifles.
In June, Grant Williams, 61 was charged by the ATF with failing to document firearms sales from Sportsman's Supply.
As to the whereabouts of the guns in question, Cervone said he can’t say for sure where all the guns currently are, but he believes they are still in possession of the store, or they are in the hands of new owners.
Either way, proper registration for those guns is going to be required, Cervone said.
“When you're dealing with firearms it makes it more than just a clerical error,” Cervone said. “The ATF doesn't take clerical errors lightly. You have to make sure you have your books in the proper order.”
Cervone also explained that a federal firearms license to sell firearms is issued to a person as an individual, but has to be registered through a place of business.
That’s why the investigation claims to be against Sportsman’s Supply, but is in fact against the previous owner of the store, he said.
“This report stems from an investigation into the previous owner regarding proper registration of firearms,” Cervone said. “We are limited to what we can disclose. It just stems from the improper registration of the firearms.”
