INDIANAPOLIS (WRTV) Buying a gun for someone who cannot legally possess one could cost you up to 15 years in prison and $250,000 in fines.The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the National Shooting Sports Fou ndation, and the Department of Justice joined forces Friday for the 26th year of the nationwide Don't Lie for the Other Guy campaign. The collaborative effort raises public awareness about the dangers and consequences of a straw purchase, which occurs when an individual buys a firearm for a person who is not legally allowed to purchase or own one.According to the ATF, firearms obtained through straw purchases are frequently linked to gang-related activity, violent crime, domestic abuse, and drug trafficking.The robust campaign includes 18 billboards throughout Indianapolis, more than 140 displays on IndyGo buses and stops, more than 1,300 radio spots across five of the top FM stations in the market, and 4.4 million social media impressions. The ATF said the media campaign will highlight the seriousness of straw purchases in the region.If you compare the numbers from last year to this year, we doubled the numbers when it comes to trafficking cases. So that means it's a serious issue that we are dealing with, ATF Special Agent in Charge Jorge Rosendo said.U.S. Attorney Thomas Wheeler for the Southern District of Indiana highlighted several straw purchase and gun trafficking cases his office is currently working.Right now, my office is prosecuting a straw purchasing and gun trafficking ring of 15 individuals who lived and operated here in Indianapolis, Wheeler said. Leaders of the ring would pay people without criminal records to purchase dozens of firearms with the purpose of reselling them to those who could not legally buy guns.The campaign also partners with firearm retailers by providing resources on how to spot warning signs to identify potential straw purchasers.You'll go to any gun shop, and they'll have our materials, talking about these things, said Joe Bartozzi, president and CEO of the National Shooting Sports Foundation. So, the success is the momentum. Building that knowledge, building that momentum about keeping guns out of the wrong hands.Chief Tanya Terry of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department said campaigns like these only strengthen local law enforcement's efforts to keep communities safe.We are certainly able to more effectively identify, locate and take those illegal firearms out of our neighborhoods and arrest and hold accountable violent offenders in our neighborhoods, Terry said.The ATF said the Indianapolis-area Dont Lie for the Other Guy campaign will total nearly 21.5 million gross media impressions. It is funded entirely by the firearm industry and is now complemented by funding allocated to the ATF by Congress.The campaign runs through September. ...read more read less