Eugene Ripp, Unlicensed Firearm Sales, Wisconsin 2024

Eugene Ripp, 66, of Arlington, Wisconsin, was sentenced to one year and one day in federal prison for dealing in firearms without a license — a crime he continued committing even after being warned twice by federal agents. U.S. District Judge William Conley handed down the sentence yesterday, rejecting calls for probation and calling Ripp’s actions ‘callous’ and dangerous.

Ripp pleaded guilty on February 20, 2019, to operating as an unlicensed firearms dealer, a charge stemming from a years-long pattern of selling guns at Wisconsin gun shows and in parking lots across the state. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) had flagged Ripp as early as July 2015, when they issued a formal Cease and Desist Letter warning him that continued sales without a Federal Firearms License (FFL) would lead to prosecution.

Despite the warning, Ripp kept selling. Undercover agents recorded conversations where Ripp expressed fear that the guns he was selling might be traced back to him. He told the buyer not to tell anyone the firearms came from him. Several transactions occurred in the parking lots of businesses in DeForest and Sun Prairie — all conducted from inside Ripp’s vehicle, all done without background checks.

The investigation revealed that some of the firearms Ripp previously sold had turned up at crime scenes. Yet he continued to sell weapons to individuals whose identities and intentions he never verified. One undercover buyer even hinted that the guns were intended for other, unnamed people — a red flag Ripp ignored.

Judge Conley made it clear that the sentence wasn’t just about punishing Ripp. It was about sending a message. ‘A prison term is necessary to deter others,’ he said, rejecting defense arguments that Ripp’s otherwise clean record warranted only probation. The court emphasized that Ripp knowingly flouted federal law after explicit warnings.

The case was investigated by the ATF and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Burke. Ripp will serve two years of supervised release following his prison term. Authorities stress that selling firearms without a license isn’t a victimless offense — it’s a pipeline that arms criminals and endangers communities.

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