Prosecutors say a Ross Township man treated local gun counters like his personal revolving door, buying more than 200 handguns over roughly a decade and allegedly feeding some of them into crimes in multiple states. The buying streak, which court records say ran from 2013 to 2024, included clusters of the same pistol models that investigators see as classic red flags. He was arraigned today, ordered held without bail, and is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on April 8.
According to TribLIVE, prosecutors allege 36-year-old Benjamin Ford bought at least 205 handguns between 2013 and 2024, with many of them chambered in 9mm. The criminal complaint details repeat-buy patterns that caught investigators’ attention, including 38 Taurus pistols, 34 Glocks, 17 Rugers, 16 Springfields, and 16 Smith & Wessons. Court filings describe stretches where Ford allegedly picked up multiple handguns from different stores within days of each other. Investigators say records show only a tiny fraction of those guns later generated paperwork for legal transfers, which helped kick off the probe.
Buying Patterns That Raised Red Flags
Federal rules require licensed gun dealers to report certain bulk handgun sales, and rapid, repeated purchases of similar makes and calibers are a known warning sign for trafficking. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives uses its multiple-sales reporting rule, filed on ATF Form 3310.4, to flag cases where two or more handguns are sold to the same buyer within five business days. Analysts point to the “time-to-crime” interval from purchase to recovery as another red flag.
Research that digs into trace data, including work by Everytown, has found that many guns recovered in crimes turn up within months or a few years of being sold at retail. That timing helps investigators decide whether a buyer looks more like a hobbyist or a middleman quietly moving weapons to people who are not supposed to have them.
Crime Scene Recoveries And The Charges
In Ford’s case, prosecutors say at least six of the handguns he bought have already surfaced in investigations. According to the criminal complaint, three were recovered in or near Pittsburgh, two were found in northern New Jersey, and one turned up in Manhattan. A CZ 9mm that Ford allegedly purchased on Nov. 16, 2021, was recovered at a Swissvale crime scene on Jan. 19, 2025, a relatively short hop from gun counter to police evidence locker.
The Pennsylvania Attorney General’s office has charged Ford with six felony counts of selling or transferring firearms to individuals not permitted to possess them. Court records show he was arraigned and denied bail as a danger to the community. Reporting by TribLIVE includes the criminal complaint and an interview with a local seller who defended high-volume buyers, saying, “I can tell you that I do not believe that it is against the law to purchase hundreds if not thousands of guns.”
What’s Next
Ford is due back in court on April 8 for a preliminary hearing. If the judge finds probable cause, the case will move forward toward trial or potential indictment. In the meantime, investigators say they are still tracing recovered weapons and poring over sales records to determine whether the guns represent a lawful collection or an illegal pipeline to people barred from owning firearms.
Neighbors and local officials had not publicly weighed in as the case moved through Allegheny County courts, and authorities say more details could surface as additional traces and interviews are completed. For now, the April 8 hearing stands as the next public snapshot in what prosecutors describe as a decade-long flow of handguns out of the legal market and into the shadows.
