TIMING OF THE RAIN COMING UP IN
A LITTLE BIT. >> THANK YOU.
>>> QUESTIONS TONIGHT OVER A GUN
DEALER HERE IN D.C. AND HOW WELL
IT WAS OPERATED.
THIS IS NOT YOUR STANDARD GUN
SHOP.
>> AS INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER TED OBERG AND THE NEWS 4 I-TEAM
FOUND THE AREA’S LARGEST POLICE
FORCE ENDED UP BEING IN THE
FIREARMS BUSINESS ITSELF.
TED?
>> TIM AND ANNA, A SURPRISE TO
US AS WELL.
WHEN A D.C. RESIDENT WANTS A
LEGAL HANDGUN THEY USUALLY GO TO
A GUN STORE.
THEY PAY FOR IT AND SHIP IT TO A
LICENSED DEALER IN D.C.
THAT D.C. DEALER IS THE ONLY
PLACE THAT A FEDERAL BACKGROUND
CHECK IS DONE, AND THAT LOOKS
FOR PAST CONVICTIONS OR OTHER DISQUALIFICATIONS.
AND FOR A TIME D.C. POLICE WAS
THE ONLY ONE IN TOWN DOING THEM,
SOMETHING THAT’S NOW RAISING
NEWLY UNCOVERED CONCERNS.
THERE ARE ONLY TWO PEOPLE IN THE
ENTIRE DISTRICT WHO CAN HELP YOU
GET A LEGAL HANDGUN IN D.C. AND
SEAN POLAND IS ONE OF THEM.
POLAND OPENED D.C. SECURITY
ASSOCIATES IN 2021, ONE OF TWO
FEDERAL FIREARMS LICENSEES IN
D.C.
>> WE BELIEVE IN RESPONSIBLE OWNERSHIP.
>> Reporter: AT A TIME WHEN D.C.
HAD ONLY ONE OTHER GUN DEALER,
THE MECH PALLPEN POLICE
DEPARTMENT.
ACCORDING TO OTHERS WE TALKED TO
AND RECORDS WE COMBED THROUGH
D.C. WAS THEN AND IS STILL NOW
THE ONLY POLICE DEPARTMENT
ANYWHERE IN AMERICA TO SELL GUNS
TO THE PUBLIC.
THE ONLY ONE.
AND WE’VE GOT THE RECORDS TO
SHOW HOW IT HAPPENED. FEARING SECOND AMENDMENT
SCRUTINY, D.C. COUNCIL PASSED A
LAW IN 2012 ALLOWING D.C. TO
DEAL GUNS IF NO PRIVATE BUSINESS
WOULD DO IT, AND THAT WAS THE
CASE IN SPRING OF 2020 WHEN MAYOR BOWSER ORDERED D.C. POLICE
TO DO IT.
IN APRIL 2020 D.C. POLICE
STARTED OPERATING AS BOTH THE
DEALER AND ENFORCER OF GUN LAWS
IN THE DISTRICT.
POLICE DEPARTMENTS ARE NOT
SUPPOSED TO BE FIREARM DEALERS,
ARE THEY?
>> HECK NO.
THAT WAS ALSO MY BIGGEST POINT
THERE.
IF YOUR FIREARM SCREWS UP YOU’RE
GOING TO INSPECT YOUR OWN
FIREARMS BRANCH?
>> Reporter: MONTHS LATER HE REMEMBERS D.C. POLICE COULDN’T
WAIT TO GET OUT OF THE GUN
BUSINESS.
>> THEY ASKED US OPEN EARLY BY
FOUR WEEKS.
>> Reporter: WHY?
>> THEY WERE GETTING SICK AND
TIRED OF MANAGING ALL THOSE
FIREARMS THEY HAD DOWN THERE. THEY HAD THOUSANDS OF FIREARMS
WAITING TO BE PROCESSED.
>> Reporter: D.C. POLICE
WOULDN’T TALK TO US ABOUT
POLAND’S CLAIM, BUT WE DO KNOW
WHERE SOME OF THOSE GUNS ENDED
UP.
THE ATF TRACES IT ALL THE WAY
BACK TO THE ORIGINAL SALE AND
THEN FOLLOWS THE TRAIL TO SEE
WHO ELSE MAY HAVE BOUGHT THE GUN
BEFORE IT WAS USED IN A CRIME.
DETECTIVES USE THE TRACES TO
DEVELOP SUSPECTS. THE ATF CRACKS DOWN ON DEALERS
WHO SELL A HIGHER NUMBER OF GUNS
EVENTUALLY RECOVERED AT CRIME
SCENES, FORCING THEM TO REPORT
MORE INFORMATION AND PARTICIPATE
IN WHAT THE ATF CALLS IT DEMAND
LETTER 2 PROGRAM.
THE AGENCY PUT D.C. POLICE IN IT
AFTER TRACKING DOZENS OF GUNS FROM CRIME SCENES IN 2021 ALONE
TO MPD GUN DEALING.
>> WE ARE NOT AN ANTI-GUN DEALER
AT BRADY.
WE ARE ANTI-IRRESPONSIBLE GUN
DEALING.
>> Reporter: THE GROUP BRADY
UNINITED AGAINST GUN VIOLENCE
RECENTLY RELEASED HUNDREDS OF
DOCUMENTS RELATE TODAY THE
PROGRAM AND FOUND IT’S REALLY
RARE TO BE PUT IN IT, BUT WE
FOUND 14 DEALERS IN THE D.C.
AREA INCLUDING POLAND’S AND
ANOTHER WHO CURRENTLY OPERATES
IN D.C. AND MPD WAS ON THE LIST, TOO.
>> IT WAS A LITTLE BIT
SURPRISING TO SEE THE D.C.
METROPOLITAN POLICE DEPARTMENT
RECEIVE A DEMAND LETTER.
>> Reporter: BUT NOT TO POLAND
WHO SAYS HE WARNED POLICE HE
DIDN’T THINK THEIR GUN SELLING PRACTICES WERE TIGHT ENOUGH.
>> I WALKED IN THERE AND IT WAS
ARCHAIC.
THE PROCESSES, THE SYSTEMS THEY
WERE USING TO MANAGE THAT
PROCESS IS -- WAS ARCHAIC.
I HAD OFFERED A DEVICE AND
OFFERED LITTLE SUGGESTIONS.
>> Reporter: D.C. POLICE
WOULDN’T TELL THE I-TEAM IF IT
TOOK HIS ADVICE OR ANSWERED ANY QUESTIONS ON CAMERA.
A SPOKESPERSON ONLY TELLING US
MPD HAS NEVER SOLD GUNS.
MPD WAS REQUIRED TO OPERATE AS AN FFL TO UPHOLD THE
CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT IN THE
DISTRICT.
DURING THAT PERIOD THE DEPARTMENT FACILITATED THE LEGAL
TRANSFER OF 8,038 FIREARMS.
>> GUN DEALERS ARE GATE KEEPERS. THAT’S THEIR MANDATE UNDER THE
FEDERAL LAW.
THEY HAVE THAT RESPONSIBILITY
AND THAT OBLIGATION TO MAKE SURE
EVERY SALE IS A SAFE SALE.
>> Reporter: BUT THERE’S ANOTHER
CONCERN THE I-TEAM FOUND, WHAT’S
CALLED TIME TO CRIME.
THE ATF EXPLAINS ON AVERAGE A
GUN FOUND AT A CRIME SCENE IS
TEN YEARS PAST ILGTS FIRST SALE.
SHORTER TIMES THE AGENCY TELLS US DESERVES MORE SCRUTINY.
AND IN D.C. POLICE’S CASE THE
TIME TO CRIME WAS AROUND 20
MONTHS, LESS THAN TWO YEARS.
SHARP SAYS EVEN THOUGH D.C.
POLICE NO LONGER OPERATE AS AN
FFL, THE DEPARTMENT SHOULD WANT TO KNOW WHY THEIR TIME TO CRIME
WAS SO MUCH SHORTER AND BE ABLE
TO TELL D.C. FAMILIES IF THEIR
LOVED ONE WAS SHOT WITH A GUN
THEY HELPED BRING TO THE
DISTRICT.
>> MPD IS ULTIMATELY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE PUBLIC SAFETY OF THE
RESIDENTS OF WASHINGTON, D.C.
EVERYTHING THAT THEY DO SHOULD
HAVE AN EYE TOWARDS PROTECTING
THE PUBLIC SAFETY.
>> Reporter: BEFORE D.C. MAYOR
MURIEL BOWSER TOLD D.C. POLICE
TO GET INTO THE GUN BUSINESS,
SHE WAS CRITICIZING VIRGINIA
LAWMAKERS FOR NOT OVERSEEING
DEALERS IN THE COMMONWEALTH
STRICTLY ENOUGH.
WE FOUND A LETTER SHE SENT
VIRGINIA LEGISLATIVE LEADERS IN
JANUARY 2020 URGING THEM TO DO MORE TO KEEP GUNS LEGALLY SOLD
IN VIRGINIA FROM BEING USED IN
D.C. CRIMES.
LEGAL GUNS ORIGINATING IN
VIRGINIA ARE A KEY DRIVER OF GUN CRIME IN D.C., BOWSER WROTE.
FOUR MONTHS LATER SHE SIGNED
THAT MAYOR’S ORDER AUTHORIZING
D.C.’S POLICE DEPARTMENT TO
BECOME AN FFL THEMSELVES, AND
THOSE ATF RECORDS SHOW MPD
HELPED SELL GUNS EVENTUALLY USED
IN CRIME, TOO.
WE REACHED OUT TO THE MAYOR’S
OFFICE BUT DIDN’T GET A
RESPONSE.
A SPOKESPERSON FOR D.C. POLICE