Troubling if True

Apparently the ATF is up to no good in border states, according to NRA, who is looking into the situation:

NRA-ILA has recently received several calls from NRA members in border states who have been visited or called by agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. In some cases, agents have asked to enter these people’s homes, and requested serial numbers of all firearms the members possess.

In each case, the agents were making inquiries based on the number of firearms these NRA members had recently bought, and in some cases the agents said they were asking because the members had bought types of guns that are frequently recovered in Mexico.

I guess this is part of the crackdown President Obama promised to President Calderon.

10 thoughts on “Troubling if True”

  1. What I’d like to know is how does the BATFE know how many guns people have bought recently?

    The 4473 is at the gun store, NICS data is supposed to be thrown away quickly, and BATFE isn’t supposed to have a registration database by law.

    I doubt a FOIA request would pry loose any useful information.

  2. So much for “not keeping a registry”.

    Thankfully, I no longer live in a border state, but I can certainly admit that the conversation with a BATFE agent, if I did, would be rather short:

    “May we come in and get the serial number from your firearms?”

    “Do you have a warrant?”

    “No…”

    “Well there is your answer. Have a good day.”

    *door closes*

    Door to door questioning… never thought I would see the day.

  3. Excuse length. “Border” states: ME, NH, VT, NY, PA, OH, MI, WI, MN, ND, ID, WA, OR, CA, AZ, NM, TX, LA, MS, AL, GA, FL, SC, NC, VA, MD, DE, NJ, CT, MA, AK, HI. Did I miss any?

    That’s 2/3 of the US by any old definition. If “international” seaports or airports get mentioned, the number goes way up.

    Which amendment covers those “border” states’ rights, again?
    Pray God they haven’t heard of the Northwest Ordinance.
    This changes everything.

  4. They could be using multiple purchase forms to start inquiries, rather than stored NICS data. NICS data, if it’s being stored, would be done by FBI, not ATF. Not that I trust either of them not to break the law, especially now that we have hope and change, but it could be the multiple purchase forms they are using. Buy more than one pistol in a five day period, the sale gets reported.

  5. Hasn’t happened to me. But I don’t make multiple purchases. I will be nice if they do and will contact the NRA if it happens. I don’t like to be harrassed by that criminal organisation.

  6. It would be a fishing exercise.

    Note frequent buyers. Collect serial numbers. Wait and see if said serial numbers show up later in less-than-reputable situations.

    Which says to me that there appears to be a lack in these organizations of any idea of how to approach gun-running problems.

  7. members had bought types of guns that are frequently recovered in Mexico.

    People were buying semi-automatic .30 machine guns and Airsoft?!?

    If they’re asking your consent, it’s because they don’t have the authority to do it otherwise.

  8. Rightwingprof, heh. Fitting to this discussion, that those were the states where the slaves were not freed. Contrariwise, it is possible to argue the night through trying to convince a Kentuckian that his state belonged to the Union (or telling an Ohioan that West Virginia did)…

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