Almost hidden among the Asian restaurants, Mexican cantinas and international markets at the Northwoods Plaza in Doraville is a shop with a distinctly American flavor: The Gun Store.

The small storefront is unassuming, just another business in a strip shopping center, distinguished only by the burglar bars and the mannequin in camouflage gear in the window.

Jenni Girtman/AJC

The Gun Store in Doraville is no stranger to controversy.

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But The Gun Store, already no stranger to controversy, is now at the center of another.

Federal authorities say a bodyguard for Atlanta rapper T.I. bought at least nine guns for the popular rap star at The Gun Store. T.I., whose real name is Clifford Harris Jr., couldn't buy the weapons himself because he's a convicted felon.

The rifles and handguns purchased at the Doraville store could be sold legally to the bodyguard, but authorities allege the bodyguard illegally planned to pass them along to Harris. Officials did not identify the bodyguard, who is cooperating with authorities.

Such "straw man" purchases of legal weapons also are at issue in a lawsuit by the city of New York which claims The Gun Store is a source of guns for criminals, an allegation disputed by the store's owners.

Harris was arrested Saturday and charged with illegal possession of machine guns and silencers and with possession of firearms by a convicted felon. On Monday, a federal magistrate ordered him to remain in jail at least until a hearing on Friday.

Harris' bodyguard allegedly bought the machine guns and silencers from an undercover federal agent. Authorities said Harris was arrested when he came to take possession of the weapons at a meeting in an Atlanta shopping center parking lot.

Under federal law, individuals may legally buy some machine guns manufactured by 1986, but only in regulated transactions with a special $200 tax.

The Gun Store was quiet Monday morning as two sales clerks manned the countertops, waiting for customers. Rows of semi-automatic rifles and shotguns lined the walls. Handguns sat in glass-covered display cases.

Employees declined to comment about the gun purchases by Harris' bodyguard, but they emphasized the store follows federal rules that require buyers to sign a form stating they are purchasing the weapon for their own use. The form warns: "You are not the actual buyer if you are acquiring the firearm on behalf of another person."

Employees referred questions to store owner Susan Lee, who could not be reached for comment Monday.

The New York lawsuit, filed in 2006, claims The Gun Store and 14 other stores across the country illegally sell weapons that end up being used in crimes in New York.

The lawsuit claims the stores made "straw purchase" sales to teams of undercover investigators, with one person making all of the inquiries into purchasing the gun and a second person filling out the required federal forms to pass the background check.

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said the lawsuit sent "a clear message to rogue gun dealers across the nation: straighten up and follow the law — or face the consequences."

An attorney for The Gun Store said recently the store was unfairly targeted.

The Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms reported in 2000 that nearly 40 percent of weapons traced after being used in crimes originated from just 332 dealers nationwide. A private group, the Americans for Gun Safety Foundation, later used ATF data to rank stores by the number of guns used in crimes traced to them. The Gun Store was in the top 25 on that list.

Critics of such methodology have said stores with high sales volume are likely to rank high in the number of guns diverted to crime.

Staff writer David Simpson contributed to this article.