GA - Twin brothers miss flight to Boston, found dead 24 hours later in Georgia mountains, 14 Mar 2025

[statt#1]

Georgia allows ammo sales to 18 yr. olds. No permit, license, or registration of any kind required. Edit to add...There are numerous ammo manufacturers in the state of Georgia, several offering online sales.

 

[Miss Poovy]

I’m not sure

I’m not sure I understand your question. The GBI said the ammo was mailed to Naazir. I was looking at the guidelines for shipping/mailing ammo for the most common carriers. Per ATF information, you must be twenty-one years old to purchase ammo for a handgun.

If you read o

Georgia allows ammo sales to 18 yr. olds. No permit, license, or registration of any kind required. Edit to add...There are numerous ammo manufacturers in the state of Georgia, several offering online sales.

In the federal regulations, it is illegal to sell ammunition for a HAND GUN to a person under twenty-one years old. This is clearly stated on the ATF page. It also states federal law trumps local law.

Does a customer have to be a certain age to buy firearms or ammunition from a licensee? | Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

Yes. Under the Gun Control Act (GCA), shotguns and rifles, and ammunition for shotguns or rifles may be sold only to individuals 18 years of age or older. All firearms other than shotguns and rifles, and all ammunition other than ammunition for shotguns or rifles may be sold only to individuals...

www.atf.gov

Shippers follow federal law.

 

[Miss Poovy]

Georgia allows ammo sales to 18 yr. olds. No permit, license, or registration of any kind required. Edit to add...There are numerous ammo manufacturers in the state of Georgia, several offering online sales.

My reply got a little garbled. Some states DO NOT have a restriction. Federal law should be followed.

If you have a reference that Georgia has a law that sales to folks buying AMMUNITION for HANDGUNS under the age of 21 y.o., I would like to see it. You may see Georgia has no restrictions (or an absence of restrictions) but federal law should be followed.

 

[statt#1]

My reply got a little garbled. Some states DO NOT have a restriction. Federal law should be followed.

If you have a reference that Georgia has a law that sales to folks buying AMMUNITION for HANDGUNS under the age of 21 y.o., I would like to see it. You may see Georgia has no restrictions (or an absence of restrictions) but federal law should be followed.

You're correct on Federal law. Handgun ammo is not to be sold to folks otherwise legally able to purchase who are under 21 years old.

It's my opinion there are probably several in state Georgia ammo companies that do not engage in age verification.

With that being said, private sales of firearms and ammunition in Georgia are not regulated. There are several online firearms forums in Georgia. Most of these forums have buy, sell, and trade areas on them. Ammo could have been purchased online in such manner.

 

[Miss Poovy]

You're correct on Federal law. Handgun ammo is not to be sold to folks otherwise legally able to purchase who are under 21 years old.

It's my opinion there are probably several in state Georgia ammo companies that do not engage in age verification.

With that being said, private sales of firearms and ammunition in Georgia are not regulated. There are several online firearms forums in Georgia. Most of these forums have buy, sell, and trade areas on them. Ammo could have been purchased online in such manner.

I’m not disagreeing. Under GA law, the vendor doesn’t have to keep a record of sales.

My first post about this subject was looking at major shippers & what their requirements were for shipping ammunition as the ammunition was “mailed” according to the GBI. Some package/postal vendors will not deliver ammunition and the others I checked follow Federal law.

 

[fsngruv]

I’m not sure

I’m not sure I understand your question. The GBI said the ammo was mailed to Naazir. I was looking at the guidelines for shipping/mailing ammo for the most common carriers. Per ATF information, you must be twenty-one years old to purchase ammo for a handgun.

Thank you for your patience and explanation. I think I understand your assertion about the ammunition, it was clearly purchased illegally and may have been mailed illegally because the age requirement outlined by the ATF, stating authorized dealers cannot ship ammunition to individuals the know or reasonably believe are 21 or older. Makes me wonder if it was an authorized dealer, and what requirements do they have when shipping ammunition? Are IDs required and verified? I have never bought ammunition online nor had it shipped to me. So I would love to hear any experience or information on how licenced dealers of ammunition actually verify the age requirement. Do they just ask you if you are over 21 and that's it? Seems like that's faulty.
I do wonder if the way the twins received the ammunition will lead to other charges? Perhaps even a bill or something making it a little harder for ammunition to get in the hands of those who are not legally allowed to purchase.

 

[statt#1]

Private sales are not regulated, the ammo could have been purchased through a firearm forum.

The buyer, if purchasing from a licensed dealer, could have indicated the ammo was for a rifle...there are 9mm rifles...or a shotgun...there are .410 pistols...or buyer could have misrepresented age.

Or so I think, very likely just hit the buy button on a website and it shipped right out, no questions asked.

 

[Kaley Smith]

I guess I have a small bit of insight as I'm best friends with two identical twins. When something bad happens, they have a pretty dark sense of humour - I remember when we were about 16 they made a joke about this kind of thing, like "Oh if mom finds out we're both going to...". They were always jokes but I also saw them in dark places a lot throughout their lives, and that bond is absolutely inseparable. I think if both twins go through something, it can become a bit of an echo chamber, and it's not possible for them to imagine one of them living without the other. I think that's what happened here, even though I was hesitant about the initial M/S ruling. MOO.

Yes. Many years ago I came across a scene where a man in his 20's had just jumped off a bridge to the ice below. Etched in my memory is the picture of his bright red blood spreading over the white snow below. I searched for his obituary later and found that his twin brother had died exactly one year before. He felt he could not live without him and had chosen to die on the same day a year later. I started writing a letter to the young man's parents, but then stopped because I felt I had nothing comforting to say to them.

 

[Bigditch]

I think that.most.parents try to raise their children as you're describing, yet many young people are still severely struggling. And to simplify it a lot, what a family does isn't necessarily enough, when our entire culture is the way it is, IMO.

Well said ChatteringBirds.

 

[seasideForest]

I think as we get older we are more likely to be able to look at history and see that there has always been happiness, sadness, tragedy, etc and that life goes on for years, decades and centuries. But when you are young - and especially if you are in pain - you tend to only be able to see what you are feeling and going through in that moment.

For me, this is the most important comment on young adults and suicide. I can remember back to that age and thinking on and off in the general direction of suicide, shall we say. And often I just wanted to disappear, earth - please swallow me up. Things seemed impossible, mountains and hurdles to get over, shame to live through. And years and decades to somehow manage, if I weren't to disappear.

Now a good few decades later, I know time flies by anyway so I don't positively dread the upcoming years. And I've learnt that the shame dumped on me from an early age is not my shame. I had no idea as a young adult, and living with this feeling of shame plus guilt too was very hard. I have no idea if these young men had anything like that to deal with in their feelings, but what people around you perceive as a 'good life' and successful transition from adolescence to adulthood may not actually feel like it to the young person going through it. No amount of "it was harder in the old days" will help.

RIP to the two young men.
MOO

 

[CuriousCricket]

If you read o

In the federal regulations, it is illegal to sell ammunition for a HAND GUN to a person under twenty-one years old. This is clearly stated on the ATF page. It also states federal law trumps local law.

Does a customer have to be a certain age to buy firearms or ammunition from a licensee? | Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

Yes. Under the Gun Control Act (GCA), shotguns and rifles, and ammunition for shotguns or rifles may be sold only to individuals 18 years of age or older. All firearms other than shotguns and rifles, and all ammunition other than ammunition for shotguns or rifles may be sold only to individuals...

www.atf.gov

Shippers follow federal law.

There are many online places to purchase both guns and ammo. Guns must be shipped to an FFL, but ammo will be shipped straight to the home. I don't recall being asked to provide proof of age or anything else from the place I've purchased ammo.

 

[Miss Poovy]

Thank you for your patience and explanation. I think I understand your assertion about the ammunition, it was clearly purchased illegally and may have been mailed illegally because the age requirement outlined by the ATF, stating authorized dealers cannot ship ammunition to individuals the know or reasonably believe are 21 or older. Makes me wonder if it was an authorized dealer, and what requirements do they have when shipping ammunition? Are IDs required and verified? I have never bought ammunition online nor had it shipped to me. So I would love to hear any experience or information on how licenced dealers of ammunition actually verify the age requirement. Do they just ask you if you are over 21 and that's it? Seems like that's faulty.
I do wonder if the way the twins received the ammunition will lead to other charges? Perhaps even a bill or something making it a little harder for ammunition to get in the hands of those who are not legally allowed to purchase.

There’s lots of info on the web about how easy it is for an underage person may purchase ammo via the web.

Most responsible gun owners I know, especially ones with children in the home, secure the gun and/or store the handgun & ammunition separately.

Just from reading, there seems to be some push from ATF to define a fire arm seller, such as how much revenue does the person reach from firearms & related ammunition sales.

I also live in a “free state”, and my brother asked me to purchase some blank handgun bullets @ a brick & mortar store for target practice at a gun range. He lived in another part of the state & ammunition in that area was limited. The employees at the gun store are middle aged men who have a serious expression & act like they are locked & loaded. Well, I got a little confused and may have asked for hollow bullets and tried to explain the kind of ammo I was trying to purchase & I can tell you those guys wouldn’t have sold me a candy bar. It was sort of funny afterwards, but I guess they take their license to sell seriously.

 

[Miss Poovy]

There are many online places to purchase both guns and ammo. Guns must be shipped to an FFL, but ammo will be shipped straight to the home. I don't recall being asked to provide proof of age or anything else from the place I've purchased ammo.

Yes, there’s a lot about ammo on websites & how easy it is to sell. Some sellers, according to this article, have the ange information in the terms & conditions section that the purchaser marks they’ve read.

 

[Miss Poovy]

Yes. Many years ago I came across a scene where a man in his 20's had just jumped off a bridge to the ice below. Etched in my memory is the picture of his bright red blood spreading over the white snow below. I searched for his obituary later and found that his twin brother had died exactly one year before. He felt he could not live without him and had chosen to die on the same day a year later. I started writing a letter to the young man's parents, but then stopped because I felt I had nothing comforting to say to them.

There seems to be quite a few jumpers in the area where I live, usually from a parking deck. And they jump during business & school hours when folks are walking on the sidewalks. It may be that’s when they have easy access to the deck. I think that would be my least favorite way when I hear about it.

 

[Quill]

For me, this is the most important comment on young adults and suicide. I can remember back to that age and thinking on and off in the general direction of suicide, shall we say. And often I just wanted to disappear, earth - please swallow me up. Things seemed impossible, mountains and hurdles to get over, shame to live through. And years and decades to somehow manage, if I weren't to disappear.

Now a good few decades later, I know time flies by anyway so I don't positively dread the upcoming years. And I've learnt that the shame dumped on me from an early age is not my shame. I had no idea as a young adult, and living with this feeling of shame plus guilt too was very hard. I have no idea if these young men had anything like that to deal with in their feelings, but what people around you perceive as a 'good life' and successful transition from adolescence to adulthood may not actually feel like it to the young person going through it. No amount of "it was harder in the old days" will help.

RIP to the two young men.
MOO

Well said.

 

[ITSJUSQ7!]

View attachment 571278
Qaadir and Naazir Lewis, both 19, were found shot to death Saturday morning by a hiker at the summit of Bell Mountain, near the North Carolina border.

“How did they end up out in the mountains? They don’t hike out there, they’ve never been out there,” Brawner said. “They don’t know anything about Hiawassee, Georgia. They never even heard of Bell Mountain, so how did they end up right there?”

The GBI stated that their preliminary findings suggest a murder-suicide, but the family strongly disputes that conclusion.

“We knew right away that wasn’t true,” Brawner said.

Twin brothers miss their flight to Boston, found dead 24 hours later in Georgia mountains

Qaadir and Nazir Lewis' bodies were found on Bell Mountain. Their family disputes GBI's initial murder-suicide ruling, insisting the twins wouldn’t hurt each other.

www.wltx.com

Hi everyone,
I’m a new member and very excited! I have a few questions that there has been no mention of by family or GBI. How were they traveling to the airport? Uber/Lfyt? Friend, relative, neighbor? Other than the family and the friend in Boston, who knew they would be visiting, flight time , etc?

 

[ITSJUSQ7!]

View attachment 571278
Qaadir and Naazir Lewis, both 19, were found shot to death Saturday morning by a hiker at the summit of Bell Mountain, near the North Carolina border.

“How did they end up out in the mountains? They don’t hike out there, they’ve never been out there,” Brawner said. “They don’t know anything about Hiawassee, Georgia. They never even heard of Bell Mountain, so how did they end up right there?”

The GBI stated that their preliminary findings suggest a murder-suicide, but the family strongly disputes that conclusion.

“We knew right away that wasn’t true,” Brawner said.

Twin brothers miss their flight to Boston, found dead 24 hours later in Georgia mountains

Qaadir and Nazir Lewis' bodies were found on Bell Mountain. Their family disputes GBI's initial murder-suicide ruling, insisting the twins wouldn’t hurt each other.

www.wltx.com

And 1 other thing, why would they go to such a(n) remote; presumably unknown area to them to commit a murder/suicide? Why would they even go through the trouble of book in a flight, paying for the tickets to then travel 90miles from home to commit murder/suicide. People who commit suicide generally don’t make future plans ( as the trip to visit a friend)

 

[Miss Poovy]

Hi everyone,
I’m a new member and very excited! I have a few questions that there has been no mention of by family or GBI. How were they traveling to the airport? Uber/Lfyt? Friend, relative, neighbor? Other than the family and the friend in Boston, who knew they would be visiting, flight time , etc?

From other postings based on what the twins family said: uber to airport; only Naazir traveling but both went to airport; flight I think @ 7:00A & missed & rescheduled to next day. Information on whom they were visiting came out recently so it seems like the fam didn’t know about girlfriend, but not certain. There were a lot of twists & turns to figure out timeline.

 

[statt#1]

Information on whom they were visiting came out recently so it seems like the fam didn’t know about girlfriend, but not certain.

This would be great information to have...any WS approved sources available?

 

[Demonkitty94]

View attachment 571278
Qaadir and Naazir Lewis, both 19, were found shot to death Saturday morning by a hiker at the summit of Bell Mountain, near the North Carolina border.

“How did they end up out in the mountains? They don’t hike out there, they’ve never been out there,” Brawner said. “They don’t know anything about Hiawassee, Georgia. They never even heard of Bell Mountain, so how did they end up right there?”

The GBI stated that their preliminary findings suggest a murder-suicide, but the family strongly disputes that conclusion.

“We knew right away that wasn’t true,” Brawner said.

Twin brothers miss their flight to Boston, found dead 24 hours later in Georgia mountains

Qaadir and Nazir Lewis' bodies were found on Bell Mountain. Their family disputes GBI's initial murder-suicide ruling, insisting the twins wouldn’t hurt each other.

www.wltx.com