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BATFE

Freeflight

Campaign Veteran
Joined
Sep 28, 2007
Messages
306
Location
Yorktown VA, ,
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I would say that NATO rules are in effect here... this just makes my blood boil!:cuss:
[align=left]FreeFlight[/align]
[align=left]"Be not intimidated... nor suffer yourselves to be wheedled out of your liberties by any pretense of politeness, delicacy, or decency. These, as they are often used, are but three different names for hypocrisy, chicanery and cowardice."
- John Adams[/align]
[align=left][/align]
BATFE Adds Theft To Its Crimes
Gun Owners of America
8001 Forbes Place, Suite 102
Springfield, VA 22151
(703)321-8585
Friday, October 17, 2008
Coloseum Software Corporation has developed software that will help dealers record all of the information that is unconstitutionally required by the federal government -- and to keep that information in a way that insulates them from bogus prosecutions at the hands of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (aka The Gang).
The document that is most often involved in "gotcha" injustices is the Form 4473 which all customers must fill out when buying from a licensed federal firearms dealer -- a requirement that is yet another unconstitutional imposition by the feds.
One of the favorite tricks of the BATFE has been to pounce on trivial customer errors such as writing "Blto" instead of "Baltimore" on the 4473 Form. One dealer supposedly showed his willfulness in breaking the law when his clerks missed some sixty-plus instances when customers tried to "sneak" Blto past those eagle-eyed inspectors from The Gang.
While this does nothing to fight crime, it has allowed The Gang to reduce the ranks of dealers by some 85 percent since the Clinton presidency.
The genius of Coloseum's software is that it allows a dealer to walk a customer through the Form 4473 without making a single mistake. With an electronic signature, the computer's form can be printed, providing a perfect 4473 available for The Gang to inspect.
A foolproof way of filling out the 4473 would reduce the number of dealers put out of business. That's the advantage of using the Coloseum software.
So Coloseum approached the BATFE several months ago to discuss its plans to release the first eForm 4473. The company wanted to make sure that it was complying with all applicable federal laws and get the agency's approval for the product.
The BATFE wanted to see the details of the program, which left the directors at Coloseum a bit hesitant, as companies are reticent to expose the details of a product before it's released to the market place.
No problem, Coloseum was told. The agency would protect the details of their product.
Well, that was a lie.
The Gang assigned a liaison, Ms. Melinda Whitworth, to work with Coloseum. She dealt with the company for several weeks, asking many detailed questions. Again, Coloseum was led to believe that, if they worked with Ms. Whitworth, they would get approval for their product.
Well, one of the Gang's representatives called for a meeting with Coloseum -- a meeting which took place earlier this month. It was at that meeting that Coloseum was told by an ATF agent that, "The BATF is in the process of creating our own technologies."
Coloseum asked for clarification -- did that mean that BATFE was developing its own software, similar to Coloseum's? "Yes" was the response.
James LaMonte, the CEO and founder of Coloseum Software Corp. was dumbfounded. "As a small business owner, I never would have thought that our biggest competition was the United States Government," he told Gun Owners of America.
After all, the IRS does not publish a "government version" of Turbo Tax. It's private companies that produce such products for public use. The Gang, as it is so apt to do, was once again trampling on the little guy.
Oh, and what about their "liaison," Ms. Whitworth? At the recent meeting, Coloseum found that Ms. Whitworth -- who was supposedly helping the company get ATF approval of its software -- was in charge of the team that is developing the copycat software at ATF.
Ms. Whitworth even had the effrontery to apologize for not having developed a product as good as Coloseum's.
Here is the bottom line. If The Gang gets their software out to dealers (probably for "free") before Coloseum gets to market, then the government's stolen version of the software is public domain. No one would ever need to buy Coloseum's intellectual property.
Coloseum is sending a free copy of its product to dealers so they can install the software on their store computer. If dealers need additional copies for a second or third computer, they can buy additional copies, as well. Hopefully, dealers will pounce on this opportunity.
What Coloseum is doing is unprecedented. And so, it seems, is the blatant thievery brazenly carried out by The Gang.
If dealers decide they just want to use the Bureau's software, they should first consider that they will be getting a much inferior product. Moreover, The Gang's software means that the government will have unrestricted access to all of the dealer's business records because it will allow "back door" access by the ATF. This kind of untrammeled access of all dealer records would not be possible with Coloseum Software.
It is long overdue that President Bush clean house at the BATFE. He needs to fire the Acting Director of the Bureau and command that employees destroy their stolen property.
ACTION: Please send the email message below, urging the President to rein in the BATFE.
You can visit the Gun Owners Legislative Action Center to send the President the pre-written message below. You can also contact the President using any of the following mediums:
Comments: 202-456-1111
Switchboard: 202-456-1414
FAX: 202-456-2461

E-mail: president@whitehouse.gov
---- Pre-written letter ----
Dear President Bush,
Gun Owners of America has told me of the outrageous theft of intellectual property that has been perpetrated by the BATFE against Coloseum Software Corp.
Please fire Acting Director Michael Sullivan and command the Bureau to destroy all copies of their stolen software.
The BATFE is an agency out of control. Please take charge and rein them in.
Sincerely,
****************************
 

Tomahawk

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4 hours south of HankT, ,
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Well, what did they expect when dealing with such people? And why should I have any sympathy for a company that was willing to make money helping the BATFE manage its paperwork?
 

gsx1138

Regular Member
Joined
May 14, 2008
Messages
882
Location
Bremerton, Washington, United States
imported post

I have no idea how these guys sleep at night. Not only are they a waste of tax payer money they are basically our governments version of the KGB. Everytime I watch V for Vendetta it's easy to see the BATFE as the Fingermen.
 

longwatch

Founder's Club Member - Moderator
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May 14, 2006
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Virginia, USA
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The point of the BATFE developing/stealing this system is not to make money off it, it is to force all FFLs to use it. There are or were FFLs who were going to use the system once .gov approved it purely on a voluntary basis. However if the software is free of charge from the government, I think it makes it that much easier to mandate its use. Where is my tin foil hat?
 

deepdiver

Campaign Veteran
Joined
Apr 2, 2007
Messages
5,820
Location
Southeast, Missouri, USA
imported post

:shock: I wish I were truly shocked by this. Unfortunately it is not exceptional news to find out that our gov't is trampling on small businesses and stealing intellectual property for its own enforcement purposes.
 

JBURGII

Regular Member
Joined
Aug 9, 2008
Messages
612
Location
A, A
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Hello, I am from the government, I am here to help myself to.. er help you..

I really don't like the direction things are going.. :cuss:
 

Notso

Campaign Veteran
Joined
May 13, 2007
Messages
432
Location
Laveen, Arizona, USA
imported post

If the software has any complexity to it, I wouldn't be too worried if I were Coloseum. The government is notorious for producing lousy, bug-ridden software.
 

Huck

Regular Member
Joined
Mar 27, 2008
Messages
646
Location
Evanston, Wyoming, USA
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IMHO, BATF added theft to their list a long time ago or does anyone really believe that BATF agents/thugsjust"misplaced" allthose missing laptops and guns?
 

Thundar

Regular Member
Joined
Sep 12, 2007
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Newport News, Virginia, USA
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The BATFE wants defacto gun registration. Digital data submission is what they need to make this happen. Superior competing software is a threat.BATFE willLie, Cheat and Steal in order to eliminate the threat. They are criminals with a badge. They will never learn until they are disbanded.
 

Tomahawk

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Thundar wrote:
The BATFE wants defacto gun registration. Digital data submission is what they need to make this happen.
That's a good point. This is probably a way to worm their way around the restrictions on using the 4473s by making them more browsable.
 

Freeflight

Campaign Veteran
Joined
Sep 28, 2007
Messages
306
Location
Yorktown VA, ,
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Thundar wrote:
The BATFE wants defacto gun registration. Digital data submission is what they need to make this happen. Superior competing software is a threat.BATFE willLie, Cheat and Steal in order to eliminate the threat. They are criminals with a badge. They will never learn until they are disbanded.

+1. Thats the main reason I'm fuming over this one (Not to mention that I design software for the Government..and I would never STEAL..) Damn thugs. They need to be done away with yesterday.
 

Overtaxed

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Nov 7, 2007
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221
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, ,
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There was a notable story about a fellow who invented a clever hitching device, inspired by the wavy "stitching" patterns on tennis and baseballs.
Somehow the federal gov got wind of it, decided it had some sort of eventual defense/NASA utility, and essentially stole his patent.
Apparently, patent protection has a clause that allows our Gov to seize any intellectual property that they deem "essential to national defense" without any explanation or appeal.
What bothers me about both of the current major candidates is that neither of them are talking about ending the abuses of "due process" that government at all levels commit.
 

Thundar

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Newport News, Virginia, USA
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If the BATFE tries to digitize the 4473s, we are most of the way down the road to defacto gun registration. How can we cripple the BATFE?

Freeflight- could you put together a dummy program for digitized 4473s that would keep BATFE's whels spinning? Something that would erase and overwrite data after it is printed, leaving no digital record?
 
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