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Judge drops gun-dealer indictments

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Federal District Court Judge Richard Dorr has dismissed cases against two Springfield gun dealers who in 2003 were indicted for alleged firearm offenses. On Feb. 15, Dorr dropped the indictments against Cathleen Schlichting, owner of The Gold Exchange and Gunsmoke Gallery, and Randall Sheridan, previous owner of Gunsmoke Gallery, were to be dropped.

Sheridan in 2003 was charged with selling firearms without a valid Federal Firearm License. Schlichting, who later took over Sheridan’s business, was charged for aiding and abetting Sheridan’s alleged illegal sales.

Dorr ruled that Sheridan’s license was valid, based on correspondence between Sheridan and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms during the time period in question. While the government argued that Sheridan’s license had never been renewed and therefore was invalid, a Nov. 13, 2002 letter from the bureau to Sheridan convinced Dorr otherwise. The letter advised Sheridan that, “Your FFL has been placed in an inactive status. You are no longer authorized to conduct business using this license.”

In his ruling, Dorr stated that “before Nov. 13, 2002, Randall Sheridan had an active license and was authorized to conduct business using that license.”

Springfield attorney John H. Kizer represented Schlichting in the case.

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