Unlicensed Gun Dealer Receives Four Years in Federal Prison

The North Vernon man resold over 1,300 firearms, many bound for Mexico.

INDIANAPOLIS - David Joseph Mull, 52, of North Vernon, has been sentenced to four years in federal prison followed by two years of supervised release after pleading guilty to unlicensed dealing in firearms. 

According to court documents, David Joseph Mull sold hundreds of firearms illegally, without obtaining a proper dealing license. In 2016, Mull was served with a cease-and-desist letter from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), putting him on notice that he needed to obtain a federal firearms license (FFL) in order to engage in the business of selling firearms.

Mull ignored the cease-and-desist letter and instead continued running his unlicensed gun business. He evaded detection by federal law enforcement by primarily purchasing firearms from other private sellers at gun shows across the country for resale, instead of purchasing from FFLs.

FFLs are required to generate multiple sales reports when individuals purchase more than one handgun within a five-day period. And if a firearm is later recovered in a crime, the ATF can determine who originally purchased the firearm from an FFL. Private sellers have no such obligation to keep or maintain records.

Mull’s main customer was involved in illegal firearms trafficking across state lines. Firearms the customer purchased from Mull were eventually transported to Mexico. Between 2019 and 2023, Mull sold over 500 firearms, including semiautomatic handguns and AR and AK style rifles, to this main customer, in exchange for approximately $350,000 in cash. According to court documents, Mull knew or had reason to believe that the firearms would be transported from Indianapolis to New York City, and then to Mexico, at the time of sale. 

Additionally, Mull ran a lucrative online firearms business during the same time period, in which he sold approximately 800 firearms to different buyers throughout the United States for a total of $174,142.

“Anyone who engages in the business of selling firearms is required to have a license and follow regulations ensuring those firearms are not going to individuals who are prohibited from possessing them,” stated Thomas A. Greco, Acting Special Agent in Charge of ATF’s Columbus Field Division. “In this case, the defendant clearly profited from the firearms business without the required license and responsibility to keep our community safe.”

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated this case. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge James R. Sweeney II.