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As it turns out the guy was not a "dealer" but a hobbyist who sells firearms.
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Except that the gunshow he was selling at required all sales to go through an FFL and Mr. Copeland was aware of this requirement.
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How is the common citizen expected to act in such a situation? The ID is valid, so are they expected to refuse the sale based upon a biased "profile" of the buyer? We all know that the racist accusations would be flying in such a case.
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You neglected to mention that one of the three men came by and attempted to buy the firearm. When Mr. Copeland asked if they had ID, he said no. They then came by a second time and repeated the same process. On the third time, a different man in the group with a Texas ID purchased the same firearm that the other had looked at earlier. Mr. Copeland then sold him the gun violating the requirement to go through an FFL.
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Copeland was apparently expected to believe that these guys were illegals based upon the fact that they were Hispanic, spoke Spanish, and wore cowboy clothing. Profiling anyone?
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Mr. Copeland wasn't convicted of selling to an illegal alien (an illegal sale). He was convicted of knowingly participating in a straw purchase. Apparently, based on the facts above, the jury felt that a reasonable person should have known that a straw purchase was taking place.
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How either of you could come to the conclusion that the TSRA is calling him an idiot, or that he knew he was committing a felony, is beyond comprehension.
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You enter a gun show and get handed a flier telling you that Austin PD and ATF are present and that all sales must go through an FFL. Then you get the shady scenario outlined above and you decide that THIS is a sale you just can't afford to refuse? You are definitely an idiot at that point. The only question left is whether you knowingly commited the felony.