LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A Louisville man is in custody after police say he allegedly bought a gun for a teen during a local gun show.
Joel Thomas, 21, is facing unlawful transaction with a minor and fraudulent firearm transaction charges.
Metro Police said the ordeal began when a detective saw Thomas with four others at the Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center Gun Show Sunday around 11 a.m.
Three of the individuals appeared to be teens and one of them was seen in possession of gun, according to arrest records.
A short time later, a detective was standing at a dealer’s booth when he allegedly saw Thomas approaching the booth and stood next to him. Thomas was then joined by several from the group and attempted to purchase a black, 10mm Glock 20 with cash without filling out any paperwork.
The detective observed Thomas handing the dealer an ID to prove he was 21-year-old and counted “a large sum of money” on the table in front of the dealer.
That’s when Thomas allegedly put his money away and told the dealer he would return.
Detectives said the dealer told Thomas he needed more money, and they were headed to the ATM and would come back to purchase the gun.
Thomas went back to the dealer with his group in tow and the detective noticed him walking away from the booth with a gun box.
Investigators with the Criminal Interdiction Division and Violent Crime Unit saw Thomas and juveniles entering a vehicle leaving the Expo Center and followed them.
A traffic stop was conducted, and police say the driver and the passenger were not wearing seatbelts and noticed the front passenger smoking marijuana. Thomas was in the rear of the vehicle as a middle passenger.
The teen driver told police there were no guns or marijuana in the vehicle. After making everyone leave the vehicle, police noticed a baggie of marijuana in plain sight in the compartment behind the driver’s seat.
A search was conducted, and the gun purchased at the gun show was found beneath the driver’s seat and a baggie of marijuana in the rear passenger’s back door next to a teen passenger.
In a statement, Kentucky Venues Spokesperson Ian Cox said:
"The weekend's gun show at the Kentucky Exposition Center was planned and managed by National Gun Day Promotions, a private organization. Safety and security remain a top priority at all Kentucky Venues facilities. We require the event producer to provide security, in addition to the police presence we coordinate. We commend LMPD and all other agencies of law enforcement that play a critical daily role in enforcing laws and protecting the community.”
Thomas told investigators the marijuana was his, that he purchased the pistol, and he was only letting the teen “see” it.
The teen driver revealed that Thomas purchased the gun on his behalf, according to police.
Investigators said they found six other guns and several bags of marijuana totaling more than eight ounces.
Thomas is also facing possession of marijuana and unlawfully permitting minor to possess a handgun.
He is currently being held at Metro Corrections.
Russell Weaver, a law professor and distinguished university scholar at UofL, said this singular incident is part of a much larger, widespread problem that's been plaguing Louisville for years.
"If you're asking me if I think it can be part of the problem, I think the answer is yes. I think by and large, people can get guns in all sorts of ways,” Weaver said. “There's clearly an investigative problem that's presented by illegal guns."
A recent federal report, released by the the the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) estimates that between 2017 and 2021, 70% of guns used to commit crimes in Kentucky were traced back to people who did not purchase the firearms in the first place.
The figure ranks second highest in the country.
The trend comes at a time when Louisville's newly elected mayor, Craig Greenberg, is pushing a new plan for confiscated guns.
The goal, as Greenberg has publicly stated, is to prevent those firearms from again being used in violent crimes across the city.
Weaver acknowledges that tackling illegal firearm use and dealing is important, but believes it is one of several strategies the city needs to deploy.
Another, Weaver suggests, is investing in the metro’s youth.
"I think it's important to engage kids, give them activities, give them opportunities, just give them reasons to not go towards violence," Weaver said.
WHAS11 reached out to a spokesperson with the Kentucky Expo Center Sunday evening, just as the arrest citation was made public. As of publishing, we have yet to hear back.
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