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Gun Owners of America (GOA)
has reported that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
(ATF) has been weaponizing its zero-tolerance policy against Federal Firearms
Licensees (FFLs). In particular, this policy was used as a means of
retaliation against a firearms store that had joined GOA in a previous lawsuit
against the ATF.
GOA stated that the way the ATF conducted itself throughout the
investigation and consequent revocation of the store's FFLs suggests
political motivation behind their actions. Morehouse Enterprises, a North
Dakota-based firearms store, had teamed up with GOA to resist the ATF's
attempts to regulate unfinished frames and receivers via bureaucratic means.
Following the lawsuit filed by Morehouse Enterprises, the ATF initiated an
inspection of the store.
The inspection resulted in the ATF finding five policy violations, three of
which were merely paperwork errors, as reported by John Crump for Ammoland.
In May 2023, Morehouse Enterprises was notified by the ATF of their intent
to revoke both of the company’s FFLs, despite one of the licenses having no
recorded violations. According to Crump, this move was heavily influenced by
President Biden's urging of the ATF to shut down FFLs through his
zero-tolerance policies.
Crump's article also recounts two past incidents highlighting the ATF's
inconsistent application of "standards" and another case demonstrating the
agency's tolerance for its agents committing perjury. The first incident
involved the ATF's attempt to close Red’s Trading Post in Idaho over minor
record-keeping errors. The second instance revolves around the ATF's unjust
revocation actions against
Brinks, Inc.
against policy and law.
Regarding corruption and violations of the law, the Morehouse/GOA complaint
highlighted that as far back as 1995, Thomas Busey, then-NFA Branch Chief,
admitted that the NFRTR (National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record)
had an
error rate between 49 and 50 percent. Despite this, the ATF continues to testify in court that the NFRTR
database is 100 percent accurate, which Busey himself admitted may not be
completely true.
The takeaway is the gross hypocrisy of the ATF presuming itself to be the
judge of "zero errors," regardless of whether they are willful or not. This
behavior is seen as nothing short of abhorrent, especially considering their
ultimate mandate is to "enforce existing gun laws," despite their
destructive implications for the livelihoods of their countrymen.
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