1970 The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) cites Traders for
gun-sales violations.
1972 The ATF, documenting scores of sales to ineligible purchasers, again cites
Traders for gun-sales violations.
1973 The ATF informs Traders' owner Anthony Cucchiara that future violations
will be considered "willful."
1979 The ATF refuses to renew Cucchiara's license to sell firearms after
discovering additional sales to ineligible purchasers and the loss without
adequate explanation of 200 firearms. A former Traders' employee receives a
license to operate the firearms portion of the sporting-goods store.
1979 A U.S. District Court affirms ATF's decision not to renew Cucchiara's
license.
1981 The ATF denies a Trader's employee's application for a license renewal,
saying he is merely a "cover" for Cucchiara. The U.S. Court of Appeals affirms
the U.S. District Court's ruling thatCucchiara's license should not be
renewed.
1983 Cucchiara gets his license back in an out-of-court settlement after suing
the government for $5 million. San Leandro police report the sale of two
handguns to a minor.
1989 A man blinded in the eye by a minor who shot him with a paint-pellet gun
purchased at Traders sues the gun store and receives $350,000 in an
out-of-court settlement.
1991 Traders' insurance company pays Sharon Ellingsen $400,000 in an
out-of-court settlement after she sues the store for permitting the "straw
sale" of a gun used to murder her husband.
1992 San Francisco police identify 840 guns improperly sold by Traders to a man
who then sells them to teenagers and drug dealers.
1992 The ATF identifies nearly 300 guns that may have been sold to ineligible
purchasers and 24 people suspected of obtaining guns through straw sales. The
ATF commends Traders for its "excellent record-keeping system."
1993 Documents filed in federal court include a statement by a convicted felon
saying he can buy weapons illegally at Traders.
1995 KGO San Francisco televison news,
in association with the Center for Investigative Reporting, airs a three-part series
with hidden camera recordings, where straw purchases are made at Traders by people
working for the station.
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