I asked this question of my dealer, and he told me that it would be a felony to buy a gun as a gift for anyone (even non-felons) without stating so on the transfer form. He would then perform checks on the buyer and the intended recipient before completing the sale.

The laws can be a bit gray sometimes, so always check with your dealer. I have two guns that belonged to my grandfather, and he handed them down to me after checking with the state police. It seems personal transfers to family members and outright sales are two different subjects in the law books.

The short and simple is this: when in doubt, call the state police!