Man accused of funneling guns to youth, gangs in Macon. He’s arrested

Several guns used in recent violent incidents were linked to a man who allegedly provided youth and gang members with the weapons in Macon, according to the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office.

The suspect, 31-year-old Prentis Braswell, was arrested Tuesday and “charged with two counts of attempting to illegally persuade a gun dealer to sell a firearm to someone other than the actual buyer,” said Chace Ambrose, a spokesperson for the BCSO. It’s a felony under both Georgia and federal law.

Ambrose referred to this as “making a straw purchase,” which involves a person who buys, then sells a gun, “often to individuals legally prohibited from purchasing a gun themselves,” according to Brady United, a national gun violence prevention nonprofit.

“According to case information, the suspect purchased 20 firearms over two years, transferring the guns into the hands of gang members, juveniles and violent offenders,” a Facebook post from the BCSO said Wednesday. “The report stated that firearms purchased by the individual have been recovered at crime scenes and/or during the commission of criminal activity.”

Braswell was expected to face more charges, the Facebook post said.

He was booked Tuesday and held in the Bibb County Jail without bond, according to its log of detainees.

The sheriff’s office did not immediately respond to The Telegraph’s requests for public records and further details.