Wounded Indianapolis Officer Sues Seller of Gun Used to Shoot Him

[SecularMotion]

An Indianapolis police officer’s lawsuit against the original seller of a handgun later used to wound him might have to overcome a state law in Indiana that gives gun sellers significant immunity.

The lawsuit filed Dec. 10 in a Marion County court by the Washington-based Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence claims KS&E Sports of Indianapolis negligently sold the handgun used to shoot Officer Dwayne Runnels in 2011.

Runnels was wounded in the leg during an exchange of gunfire in which Demetrious Martin was killed. Tarus Blackburn pleaded guilty to federal charges of illegally selling the weapon to Martin, who couldn’t legally possess a firearm because he was a convicted felon.

The lawsuit claims Blackburn accompanied Martin to KS&E Sports in October 2011, bought a gun that Martin picked out and then sold it to Martin in the store’s parking lot. The lawsuit alleges the gun shop’s workers should have known Blackburn was making a “straw purchase” for Martin.

http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/midwest/2013/12/13/314417.htm

[Duckhunter935]

1. Yep nt

[SecularMotion]

2. Good to see you're alert and on duty this morning

Did you pick up the donuts on your way to work?

[ileus]

3. Should have known...no one ever brings a friend along to help select

a firearm...

[Eleanors38]

4. Have to remember to quit doing that.

[Lizzie Poppet]

5. The article says the Brady Center filed the suit.

I guess they filed it in Officer Runnels' behalf. Golly, how helpful of them! How dare those awful gun store employees not be able to read minds!

[DonP]

7. Brady is more desparate than usual for relevance these days

Brady hasn't been invited to sit at the grown ups table for quite a while.

Apparently there was a big confrontation between MAIG and Brady a couple of days after Sandy Hook competing for celebrity PSAs.

The figurehead leader of MAIG (not Bloomie) actually called the Executive Director at Brady and told them to leave their celebrities alone, MAIG was getting them to do PSAs first. At least now we know where their hearts really were after the tragedy

I guess Brady is struggling more than ever and "stunningly" , none of our gun control "fans" seem to belong to any of these organizations, at least none that require a membership fee.

[sarisataka]

6. It seems he should sue

Mr. Blackburn, the person who has admitted to illegally reselling the gun.

Now if the two of them were at the counter and Mr. Martin said buy that one and I'll pay you for it there could be an issue. From the article it is not clear the two men were in the store at the same time. I hope further details will come out.

[gejohnston]

8. So why isn't the Brady Center suing the convicted straw purcheser

instead of the store where the clerks "should have known"? Oh wait, it isn't about the violence, it is about the gun. What I want to know is who gave the details of "he went in and picked it out"? Either the store needs to better train its employees on spotting illegal straw buyers, or it didn't happen quite that way. I'm curious to see the security footage, if any, would show.

http://www.nssf.org/factsheets/PDF/strawPurchase.pdf
http://www.atf.gov/firearms/programs/dont-lie/index.html

[Lizzie Poppet]

9. I rather suspect that mook has much shallower pockets.

Moreover, it wouldn't serve to inconvenience legitimate gun buyers...

[spin]

10. Exactly. (n/t)