A 25-year-old man was convicted on Thursday, August 11, 2022, for the straw purchase of six guns he purchased at Chalfont gun store in November 2020, the latest example of this office’s efforts to punish those who illegally possess and sell guns.
Bashir T. Shakir, of Upper Darby, was found guilty of 12 felony counts related to the straw purchase of four 9mm handguns and two .45-caliber handguns on Nov. 13, 2020. Four of those six handguns have been recovered by police during criminal investigations around the tri-state area: two in Philadelphia, one in Wilmington, Delaware, and one in Millville, New Jersey.
After a 2-day bench trial, Commons Pleas Judge Raymond F. McHugh found Shakir guilty of six counts of making false statements on firearm purchase forms, as well as six counts of illegally giving firearms to other persons.
Sentencing was deferred to a later date.
The Bucks County District Attorney’s Office has made gun safety its biggest priority, by investigating and prosecuting straw purchasers, ghost gun manufacturers and those who illegally possess firearms.
"We will relentlessly pursue straw purchasers of guns, and those who use or possess guns criminally," District Attorney Matt Weintraub said. "This is a top priority for us. Prosecution of straw purchasers, like this one, coupled with recovery of those guns, makes our community safer, and saves lives. More to come."