Pennsylvania Man Sentenced Over Straw Buys for Gun Traffickers

I don’t like gun control laws, but I really don’t like people breaking those laws explicitly to put guns in criminal hands. Part of that is because every criminal who uses a gun becomes a data point that is later used to justify taking our guns from us, despite us having done nothing wrong. It’s old, it’s annoying, and I absolutely loathe the people who contribute to that sort of thing.

So, when someone gets arrested for taking part in gun trafficking to some degree, I can’t exactly feel bad for them.

Kind of like this dude in Pennsylvania.

A Norristown man who claimed his conduct was fueled by a drug addiction is on his way to jail for participating in a straw purchase scheme to buy two firearms for the leaders of a multi-county gun trafficking organization.

Christopher Michael McNelly, 28, of the 700 block of Kohn Street, was sentenced in Montgomery County Court on Monday to 11½ to 23 months in the county jail after he pleaded guilty to charges of corrupt organizations, making materially false statements on federal gun purchase forms, illegal sale or transfer of firearms to ineligible people and conspiracy in connection with incidents that occurred between January 2023 and April 2024.

Judge Wendy G. Rothstein also ordered McNelly to complete 23 months of probation consecutive to parole, meaning McNelly will be under court supervision for about four years.

With the charges, Assistant District Attorney Blair Rohlfing alleged McNelly was solicited by the leaders of the organization, Scott Michael Grondin and Bella Skylar Kenna, to purchase two guns for the organization at local gun shops.

“What you did for this organization cannot be condoned by this court,” said Rothstein, pointing out that straw purchase schemes put illegal guns out on the streets. “Straw purchases lead to more violent crimes.”

The judge opted not to send McNelly to state prison because he pleaded guilty and accepted responsibility for his actions.

I’ll also note, though, that if he was a drug addict, he violated federal law by purchasing the guns in the first place, which means it’s possible he may not be done with his legal troubles.

McNelly was also only accused of two straw purchases, and now he’s a felon, so he can’t do any more. It’s unclear how more purchases might have impacted his sentence, or if it would have at all.

I’m mixed on my feelings here.

Sure, a guilty plea is all fine and good, but if all someone has to do to avoid the worst of their legal troubles is just to plead guilty, it seems like that might be a good way to clear off the docket quickly, but not necessarily to punish and prevent future criminal actions.

Especially when so many people in the state of Pennsylvania, where McNelly was sentenced, are actively working to restrict guns because they claim they’re the problem. Making it risky to arm criminals seems like a much better use of people’s time than trying to stop law-abiding citizens from exercising their right to keep and bear arms.