Friday, October 11, 2013

Does the ATF have a de facto gun registry?

Hmmmm:
- Last year, I was sitting at home when my doorbell rang. Two polite and professional ATF agents informed me that the number of firearms I had purchased from 2007 to 2010 did not match my income. I was disappointed to learn that this fact did not come with some sort of prize or award, but suddenly wondered how they knew what I had purchased. They knew of 5 AR receivers transferred to me on one 4473 (in 2010), for which no background check had been performed. I told them that those receivers, along with most of the firearms I had transferred to me during that time, were provided for free by manufacturers for T&E purposes, and told them about my blog.

When later I asked the FFL about that transaction record, they told me that the ATF had audited their records but didn't appear to have copied any information - although that is literally the only way they could have known about those five receivers or even the transaction itself.
This is an outstanding reason to keep the "Gun Show Loophole" open.

Via Comrade Misfit, who has a whole bunch of interesting stuff up.

5 comments:

Jake (formerly Riposte3) said...

"Two polite and professional ATF agents informed me that the number of firearms I had purchased from 2007 to 2010 did not match my income."

This is, to me, even more disturbing than the ragged de facto registry they have - what legal justification did they have to obtain the tax information from the IRS that was needed to determine his income? Even if one were to concede that obtaining five rifles in a single transaction was enough to justify a follow-up visit, it is certainly not enough to justify accessing confidential information (like tax returns are supposed to be) without some evidence that there was a criminal act involved.

It's yet another sign of how much contempt the FedGov seems to have for the limits that have been placed on its power.

Goober said...

"Two polite and professional ATF agents informed me that the number of firearms I had purchased from 2007 to 2010 did not match my income."

Why would anyone even be compelled to engage such a goonish display of contemptuous power use?

I'd be tempted to ask them what fucking business of theirs it was what my income was, or how I spent it.

That falls under the broad category of "none of the government's goddamned business" and I think we'd all do well to do everything we can to remind them of that at every opportunity.

Of course, he'd probably come up with some inexplicable, unexplainable problem with he next NICS check if he did that, wouldn't he?

Wolfman said...

I suspect the justification for BOTH actions (ATF and IRS) was probably at the behest of FBI and DEA, for mikd suspicion of drug/gun running, substatiated by the favt that he dared to live without their express permission. Obviously a subversive and a heretic and a witch!

Anonymous said...

Why would anyone even be compelled to engage such a goonish display of contemptuous power use?

'Cause it's the ATF?

Goober said...

No no no. I mean why would the poster engage in it. Meaning why would he respond at all when they showed up? Other than to ask them why they thought it was any of their business and then go call my lawyer.