NEW YORK, NY May 16, 2006 —The city is suing gun dealers in five states for allegedly selling guns illegally. The fifteen dealers all have a history of selling weapons that were used in crimes in New York. WNYC's Arun Venugopal has more.

REPORTER: The city hired private investigators to go undercover, in pairs, into gun stores and conduct straw purchases. This is a common ploy in which the person who presumably wants to use the gun engages the seller but a second person actually fills out all the paperwork. The investigators secretly videotaped the purchases, and according to corporation counsel Michael Cardozo, the evidence will make for a strong case.

CARDOZO: We do believe the evidence we've amassed will be very persuasive. Particularly when you couple it with the data from the ATF showing that these particular dealers have been engaged for a very long time in just this kind of practice.

REPORTER: The city's lawsuit seeks compensatory and punitive damages. Mayor Bloomberg also blames the federal bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms for not cracking down on suspicious dealers. The ATF has not responded to the charges.