Manassas Woman Arrested For Purchasing 31 Handguns

A woman from Manassas, Va., who purchased 31 handguns over a three-week period at area gun shows faces firearms charges.

Forty-four-year-old Kimberly Dinkins pleaded guilty Thursday to dealing firearms without a license.

While federal law does not require a person to register as a firearms dealer for occasional private gun sales, it does require a dealer's license if that person devotes significant time and energy to the sale of firearms, with a primary goal of making a profit.

An investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives revealed Dinkins purchased the 31 handguns on three consecutive weekends in late 2012. She bought 13 guns at a gun show in Chantilly, nine at a Richmond gun show, and nine more at a show in Hampton.

Prosecutors say Dinkins is not a federally licensed firearm delaer. They also say she is unemployed and planned to resell the firearms for profit.

She'll be sentenced May 3 and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison.