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Bloomberg's "sting" winds up returning guns

As part of New York City's publicity effort, Bloomberg had investigators go to a couple of NY gun stores and make supposed straw man deals, then last week NYPD cited the owners for misdemeanors and confiscated several hundred guns. It got a lot of publicity at the time. Newsday: "Togati and Spallone have had their dealers' licenses suspended as a result of their arrests, police said. The department said it also seized scores of handguns and rifles from the two stores "for safekeeping." Some Second Amendment groups have assailed the sting operations, saying they are unfair attacks on merchants of a legal product. " Another story: "Last week, the NYPD scored a major coup in both boroughs, seizing the inventories of two stores where employees were caught selling guns to unlicensed buyers." "Cops Close Gun Shop's Doors."

Less publicized is the fact that a couple of days ago the city wound up returning the seized guns and restoring the dealer's licences for all but one employee.