History of the Don't Lie Program

The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the trade association for the firearms industry, in coordination with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF), launched Don't Lie for the Other Guy, a national campaign to prevent and discourage illegal "straw man" purchases of firearms, in July 2000.

Since then, firearms retailers in more than a dozen states have learned how to better identify potential straw purchasers, and the public has learned the very severe consequences of purchasing a firearm for someone who cannot legally posses one.

The Don't Lie campaign drives home the message that anyone attempting an illegal firearm purchase faces a stiff federal penalty:

Buy a gun for someone who can't and buy yourself 10 years in jail.

"The Don't Lie for the Other Guy program is vital in educating firearms dealers and their employees on how to recognize and deter the illegal purchase of firearms through straw purchases. This program is an important tool for ATF as we pursue our mission of preventing terrorism, reducing violent crime, and protecting the public."

-- ATF

"The firearms industry is proud of its longstanding cooperative relationship with the ATF, and indeed the entire law enforcement community, in assisting them in their efforts to combat the criminal misuse of firearms. This is a goal shared by all Americans, certainly it is a goal shared by members of the firearms industry."

-- Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF senior vice president and general counsel

Don't Lie for the Other Guy is part of the Project Safe Neighborhoods crime prevention initiative of the U.S. Department of Justice.