I would think the person who willfully lied on the application forms is the real culprit here. But hey, who has the deep pockets?
Gander Mountain sells a perfectly legal product, and they did due diligence in assuring the purchaser complied with the requirements. But the purchaser was operating under deceit and misrepresentation, and there is no safeguard in place that would have alerted Gander Mountain to this duplicity.
Legal proceedings do not determine right or wrong in any instance. They only determine what is legal or illegal.
They clearly missed the mark here.
The young woman who bought these guns was paid $1000 for the act of purchasing them with the intent of transferring them to a third party.
How does Gander Mountain know that it is her intent?
Form 4473 asks that question in Box 11a. “ Warning: You are not the actual buyer if you are acquiring firearm(s) on behalf of another person” Y or N.
If they lie....then It is not the fault of Gander Mountain.... further, can you imagine the legal/media shit-storm if they were to refuse a sale to a minority woman?