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ATF says not to sell guns to Hispanics.

flb_78

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Jun 21, 2010
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544
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Gravel Switch, KY
http://www.campaignforliberty.com/blog.php?view=38088

In Federal District Court on July 20, 2010, the ATF won a conviction from an Austin jury that defies logic and reason. In a trial before Federal Judge Sam Sparks, government lawyers conceded Texas resident Paul Copeland did not know his buyer was an illegal alien, but the jury they should convict him anyway because he "had reasonable cause to believe" he was selling to an illegal alien because the two men and a boy who were present at his table at the time of the sale: 1) were Hispanic, 2) spoke Spanish, and 3) wore cowboy clothing. And the jury did as asked. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Freel acted as lead prosecutor in the case.

Mr. Copeland is a 56 year old Cedar Creek resident and Vietnam veteran who liked to buy, sell, and trade firearms as a hobby. On January 16, however, he had the misfortune to sell a handgun to Leonel Huerta Sr., who spoke both English and Spanish. Huerta Sr. negotiated his purchase from Copeland in English, showing Copeland his Texas Driver’s License. At Copeland’s trial Huerta admitted on the witness stand, that he is in the country illegally, (Huerta Sr. had previously admitted this fact to Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) Special Agent Leo Buentello). ATF Agent Shawn Kang claimed he saw Huerta later hand off the gun to Aviles. Despite these admissions, Huerta Sr. was never arrested, charged, or deported. Instead, his presence at the gunshow was used to entrap an American citizen into an unwitting violation of a federal gun control law. Huerta Sr., who is a resident of the City of Austin, appeared as a witness at the trial, admitted he was in the country illegally before federal prosecutors and a federal judge, yet he was allowed to leave the courtroom under his own power. To date Huerta Sr. has not been prosecuted for his purchase, possession, or disposition of the handgun he bought from Copeland, while Copeland is now a convicted felon.

"Instead of busting the illegal alien for buying, they bust the citizen for selling," commented Paul Velte, attorney and founder of Peaceable Texans for Firearms Rights, a gun-owners rights advocacy group from Austin. Velte asked, "who was in a better position to know the buyer’s immigration status, the buyer or the seller?" He also said, "What happened to Paul Copeland should enrage all Americans. The Federal Government is using illegal aliens to entrap citizens lawfully exercising their right to sell firearms. The illegal alien walks free, but the citizen gets convicted. The same government charged with controlling immigration is the one using illegal immigrants to attack its own citizens. Does this make any sense? It makes no sense unless the purpose is to discourage attendance at gunshows and frighten citizens from selling their firearms to other citizens."
 

Jack House

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Jun 12, 2010
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I80, USA
Oh god! Who the hell wears cowboy style clothing in Texas? THEY MUST BE ILLEGALS! :banghead:

/insert snide comment about Obama and calling Arizona racist here
 
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flb_78

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Jun 21, 2010
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Gravel Switch, KY
I love the irony of the Feds saying that state and local authorities cannot ask about immigrations status, but a citizen who sells a gun to a Hispanic who speaks Spanish, wears cowboy clothes and has a Texas driver's license needs to verify it.
 

VAopencarry

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May 9, 2006
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2,151
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Berryville-ish, VA
WOW. That's INSANE!!!! now some guys life is ruined because the ATF went after him for no apparent reason. I don't know how those ^%@$&%@*()*&@%$ sleep at night.

Austin is a 'sanctuary city', WTF!! The government is out of control, what a nightmare for this guy, i hope he appealed.
 
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KBCraig

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Aug 7, 2007
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Granite State of Mind
1) were Hispanic, 2) spoke Spanish, and 3) wore cowboy clothing.

That describes half the population of the Valley, most of whose ancestors lived north of the Rio Grande before the Texians ever cross the Red River.
 

KBCraig

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Aug 7, 2007
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Granite State of Mind
The law says you can't knowingly sell to a prohibited person (illegal aliens fall into that category).

This conviction is exactly the same as convicting someone because they "should have known" they're dealing with a prohibited person because it's: A) a guy whose wife is sporting a black eye; B) a Rasta wearing dreds and sporting a shirt with a big cannabis leaf on it; C)... oh, hell, just insert any stereotype you want.
 

jayspapa

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Jul 27, 2008
Messages
313
Location
South end of the state, Illinois, USA
It's bad enough that the feds want to go after a citizen , who followed the law , but the scariest part to me is that they had 12 people stupid enough to convict him.

It is sad to live through these times and see what this country is becoming .
 

eye95

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Jan 6, 2010
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13,524
Location
Fairborn, Ohio, USA
I think this demonstrates that the Obama administration is truly anti-Liberty (not that they haven't amply demonstrated this before).

While claiming (falsely) that 1078 will force officers to profile folks who look Mexican and speak Spanish, the government will require private citizens who sell guns to do precisely that. The Obama administration doesn't care a whit about profiling Hispanics, they just want to appear to care so that they can court that voting bloc.

While claiming (falsely) that the Obama administration is pro-gun, they take actions that criminalize routine behavior by gun-owners, making owning, selling, and buying guns more difficult--especially for folks who look or sound Mexican.

Now THIS is what profiling looks like.

That's OK. Those in power seem to be oblivious as to how actions like this make them look. They just keep doing what they are doing with total disregard to what the American people think about it. They just keep racking up votes against them from folks who are fed up.
 

Tess

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Joined
Jun 15, 2006
Messages
3,837
Location
Bryan, TX
Has anyone confirmed the facts of this story? I find every reference I find is from the same press release from Peaceable Texans for Firearms Rights.

Not that I doubt it, but circular reporting raises my suspicions.
 
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