Charge: Washington robber turned to Facebook to deal guns Olympia man charged as background check debate heats up ahead of competing gun control initiatives

A convicted felon in real life, Olympia resident Michael Joanen was buying and selling guns on Facebook with little trouble, federal prosecutors contend.

Investigators were arresting Joanen after a gun sale to an undercover officer when a would-be gun seller arrived with a pistol he planned to sell to the convicted robber, according to charges unsealed Monday. The man is purported to have told agents he would have reported Joanen to authorities, though he acknowledged he’d never done so before despite being a frequent online seller.

Had Joanen tried to buy a gun through a licensed dealer, he would have been turned away if his criminal history had been discovered during a background check. Likewise, he, as a convicted felon, couldn’t have secured a federal firearms dealer’s license.

Online, though, Joanen was able to deal in guns for months before federal investigators caught wind, prosecutors now claim.

This fall, Washington voters will be asked to decide on competing initiatives related to gun control. One – I-594 – would require background checks for gun sales like those Joanen is alleged to have involved himself in. Another – I-591 – would prohibit the state from enacting gun laws more stringent than the federal standard.

Opponents of more extensive background checks contend I-594 will criminalize gun transfers well beyond the out-of-store sales highlighted by the initiative’s supporters. They also note that gun sales to or by prohibited persons – basically felons, domestic violence perpetrators and people who have been forcibly hospitalized for mental illness – are already illegal regardless of whether a background check is performed.

On Wednesday, I-594 supporters unveiled a collection of statistics they contend show the online gun market has enabled criminals to arm themselves more easily than ever.

A pistol similar to the one federal prosecutors claim Michael Joanen tried to sell to an undercover police officer. ATF photo. A pistol similar to the one federal prosecutors claim Michael Joanen tried to sell to an undercover police officer. ATF photo. Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close Charge: Washington robber turned to Facebook to deal guns 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

Researchers with Everytown for Gun Safety found eight of 81 Washington gun buyers identified by the group should have been prohibited from doing so. According to the gun control group, each was shopping online for weapons.

According to the group, 16,736 advertisements for guns in Washington were posted online during a 4½ month period earlier this year. About a quarter of those ads came from King County. All involved private sellers – unlicensed gun dealers who purport to be selling their personal weapons, not operating a business requiring a federal license.

In court papers, a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives special agent said Joanen drew investigators' attention in late July while posting on a Facebook group comprised of Western Washington gun enthusiasts.

The ATF agent determined Joanen had been convicted of robbery and possession of a stolen gun four years before in Whatcom County. Due to his convictions, Joanen isn’t allowed to possess or sell guns.

Despite his status, Joanen had been buying and selling guns through the Puget Sound Gun Trader group for months, the agent said in court papers. The closed group boasts more than 5,000 members.

Posing as a buyer, investigators contacted Joanen about a Colt 1911-style pistol he’d offered for sale. According to charging papers, Joanen offered to sell the gun for $650.

An undercover officer met Joanen at the body shop where he worked and bought the pistol, the ATF agent said. Joanen is alleged to have offered to sell the agent an SKS-style rifle as well as another pistol before he was arrested at the shop.

The arrest did not go well for Joanen.

As Joanen spoke with police, another gun seller arrived at the shop expecting to sell a pistol to Joanen, the ATF agent told the court. The man, identified only as “D.D.” in court papers, said he planned to sell Joanen a Colt pistol for $500.

The man claimed he normally only sells guns to people with concealed pistol licenses or military ID in order to prevent selling to prohibited people, the ATF agent told the court. He went on to say he would’ve contacted police if Joanen had not shown either form of identification.

“I asked if D.D. had ever contacted law enforcement about a suspicious purchaser before,” the ATF agent said in court papers. “D.D. responded that he had not.”

The agent went on to describe the man as a “frequent seller” on the Facebook group.

Investigators later found a loaded SKS rifle at Joanen’s home, according to charging papers. The gun belonged to a friend of his who had purchased it online six months before.

Currently jailed, Joanen has been charged with unlawful gun possession. He is expected to appear Thursday in U.S. District Court at Tacoma for a preliminary hearing.

I-591 and I-594 will be on the November ballot, setting the stage for a lengthy legal fight should both well-financed initiative campaigns prevail.

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Seattlepi.com reporter Levi Pulkkinen can be reached at 206-448-8348 or levipulkkinen@seattlepi.com. Follow Levi on Twitter at twitter.com/levipulk.