Sunday, July 23, 2023

FBI Keeps Tabs on Firearm Owners Selling Weapons on Facebook

 

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A Texan man, who publicly announced on Facebook his intentions to sell his personal firearms, was subject to unwarranted surveillance by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Despite conducting an investigation and finding no wrongdoing, the ATF passed on his details to the FBI, who continued to monitor him for a minimum of six months.

Based on the internal documents examined by The Epoch Times, two specialized ATF agents held a meeting with the Latino man who admitted to "promoting" his personal firearms for sale on Facebook. He confessed to a "tendency" of buying new firearms, adjusting them, losing enthusiasm, and subsequently selling them. The man reassured the agents that his actions were never profitable.


Eric Olson, an attorney for Gun Owners of America (GOA), stated to The Epoch Times, "Throughout the documents, I kept expecting to find an instance where the ATF uncovered illegal activities, but it never happened." GOA obtained the records amidst its ongoing lawsuit against ATF and FBI under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The documents received this time were more heavily redacted than the previous ten sets, with whole pages blacked out.

Olson added, "This man is under surveillance for doing what millions of other enthusiasts do—selling parts of their personal collection. While it's not a crime, it appears that the ATF frowns upon the rapid turnover of firearms."

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