A campaign appearance at Palmetto State Armory produced this video:

The left has predictably jumped all over this, claiming that the Gun Control Act prohibits people under indictment from purchasing or possessing a gun. Trump has violated his bail and should be in jail, according to them.

There’s no evidence that Trump purchased the gun. The video shows that he said he wanted to purchase a gun. There’s no video of him filling out a 4473, or showing the gun off afterwards. If that had happened, we’d be seeing the video. Or likely hearing about it directly from him on one of his social media accounts.

Palmetto State Armory would not have sold him a gun since they, like the rest of the world, know that he is under indictment. They’re a reputable gun store, and gun stores get in quite a bit of trouble for such transactions and won’t touch them. They also know he is not a resident of South Carolina.

The Gun Control Act (GCA) does prohibit someone under indictment for a crime punishable for more than one year from purchasing or receiving guns or ammunition in interstate commerce, but it does not prohibit possession. 18 U.S. Code § 922 (n):

It shall be unlawful for any person who is under indictment for a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year to ship or transport in interstate or foreign commerce any firearm or ammunition or receive any firearm or ammunition which has been shipped or transported in interstate or foreign commerce.

18 U.S. Code § 922 (n)

Under the GCA, to “receive” is to participate in a transfer of ownership. If I hand you my gun to look at while we’re at the range, you haven’t “received” it. Likewise, it’s not as if someone indicted for securities fraud would automatically have their guns seized. It’s perfectly legal for them to continue to possess guns. They just can’t purchase more or truthfully fill out a 4473 and expect to be allowed to purchase one.

I wonder what the US Secret Service was thinking about this visit? Did they remove all of the ammunition from the store?

I guess the real unanswered question here is, was the gun a .45 ACP? It’s always confused me that a Glock 45 is a 9mm.