ST. LOUIS – A St. Charles County man appeared in federal court on Monday to be sentenced for selling firearms without a license.
Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri said Harry Trueblood, 69, sold unlicensed firearms from Jan. 1, 2021, to May 10, 2023.
Trueblood pleaded guilty in November 2023 to one count of being an unlicensed firearms dealer. A U.S. District Court judge sentenced Trueblood to five years of probation and 200 hours of community service. Due to his conviction, Trueblood is barred from possessing or selling firearms ever again.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives noted that 15 guns originally purchased from Trueblood had been recovered in criminal investigations. Trueblood admitted that he bought and sold hundreds of firearms between January 2021 and March 2022.
ATF agents observed Trueblood selling firearms at gun shows, where background checks are not required for sales from private sellers. Prosecutors said Trueblood sold a firearm to a convicted felon at a gun show. The felon, who was working with the ATF, had informed Trueblood he’d been to prison prior to the sale.
Trueblood informed the person that police had previously contacted him regarding two guns used in crimes. Trueblood was also selling armor-piercing ammunition at the event.
Trueblood continued to sell firearms at gun shows even after receiving a cease-and-desist letter from the ATF.
Some of Trueblood’s illegal firearms were recovered at the scene of a homicide, a suicide, and other shootings, prosecutors said. One individual with mental health issues, who was turned away from purchasing a firearm at two gun stores, found Trueblood and bought a weapon from him.
