• We are now running on a new, and hopefully much-improved, server. In addition we are also on new forum software. Any move entails a lot of technical details and I suspect we will encounter a few issues as the new server goes live. Please be patient with us. It will be worth it! :) Please help by posting all issues here.
  • The forum will be down for about an hour this weekend for maintenance. I apologize for the inconvenience.
  • If you are having trouble seeing the forum then you may need to clear your browser's DNS cache. Click here for instructions on how to do that
  • Please review the Forum Rules frequently as we are constantly trying to improve the forum for our members and visitors.

Fredericksburg gun shop in WashTimes article

TFred

Regular Member
Joined
Oct 13, 2008
Messages
7,750
Location
Most historic town in, Virginia, USA
Although I am not a fan, local shop SSG Tactical was extensively interviewed for this Washington Times article:

Onerous ATF rules threaten to put gun dealers out of business

The city / county issue is particularly irritating. No surprise, the form is insufficient to the task, since Virginia is unique in that it has many fully independent cities, which are NOT a part of any county. The form has a spot for the purchaser to indicate both City AND County of residence, so apparently the ATF morons view it as a violation if you don't answer both. Well here's a clue: If you put something in the wrong box, other than "None" or "N/A", THAT would be a wrong answer!

TFred

Snip from article:

Last year, when an inspector from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives dropped by SSG Tactical’s Fredericksburg shop for an unannounced audit, Mr. Stockman thought he was prepared.

Each of the roughly 7,500 guns his business sold that year required a Form 4473, the federal document that the purchaser and seller must complete, in addition to a background check.

The Form 4473 asks questions such as where the purchaser lives and whether the person has ever committed a crime.

Leaving one of the 132 items on the six-page questionnaire blank, or filling it in incorrectly, is an ATF violation. One violation can lead to a license revocation, which would put Mr. Stockman out of business.

Out of SSG Tactical’s 7,500 guns sold, the company could have made as many as 990,000 mistakes from the Form 4473 alone.

Turns out, Mr. Stockman’s team made about 180 errors — a 99.98 percent accuracy rate.

The majority of the violations were on the 4473 and included incorrect information on ethnicity, wrong dates and leaving a box empty when the city and county go by the same name, Mr. Stockman said.

“These mistakes were anything but willful — they were simply human error,” he said. “Now, if anything more turns up, in any future audit, we could lose our license — our business.”
 

davidmcbeth

Banned
Joined
Jan 14, 2012
Messages
16,167
Location
earth's crust
As a former ffl, I can tell you that the what the store owner is complaining about is really just what the law requires and has required for over 30 years.

Its part of doing business as a dealer.

The problem he has is that he did not fill out his license to limit the ATF's access.

So had had 180 errors. I never had any myself but his volume was higher than mine...and I reviewed and double checked all completed 4473 forms...if an error was discovered, I fixed it before the ATF discovered it.

He did not have to have a employee help them, I'm sure he kept them in file cabinets .. you just have to provide access, not assistance. I would have just pointed out the cabinets and installed cameras...

And I have kicked out ATF agents from my place in the past. They can only be there for specific purposes...if they showed up for something else, I showed them the door (and they showed up quite a few times...'round the time of the brady bill being passed).

If they asked me a question, I wouldn't answer .. "the form speaks for itself" was my standard reply.
 
Last edited:

TFred

Regular Member
Joined
Oct 13, 2008
Messages
7,750
Location
Most historic town in, Virginia, USA
As a former ffl, I can tell you that the what the store owner is complaining about is really just what the law requires and has required for over 30 years.

Its part of doing business as a dealer.

The problem he has is that he did not fill out his license to limit the ATF's access.

So had had 180 errors. I never had any myself but his volume was higher than mine...and I reviewed and double checked all completed 4473 forms...if an error was discovered, I fixed it before the ATF discovered it.

He did not have to have a employee help them, I'm sure he kept them in file cabinets .. you just have to provide access, not assistance. I would have just pointed out the cabinets and installed cameras...

And I have kicked out ATF agents from my place in the past. They can only be there for specific purposes...if they showed up for something else, I showed them the door (and they showed up quite a few times...'round the time of the brady bill being passed).

If they asked me a question, I wouldn't answer .. "the form speaks for itself" was my standard reply.
Well there you go. Maybe you should offer your services to the owners of the store.

TFred
 

Blk97F150

Regular Member
Joined
Dec 21, 2010
Messages
1,179
Location
Virginia
They never contacted me .. they complain about the issue AFTER its over. So, how could I have even offered my expert services?

Game, set, match.

You're welcome.

Wow. You gathered all that from one little 'laugh' icon? I'm impressed.

Or perhaps not. :banana:
 
Top