The reporters keep saying how the ATF's hands are tied when it comes to investigating gun sellers. With these powers??? No Search Warrant???
From
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R41206.pdf
Page 10
Compliance Inspections of Licensed Gun Dealers
ATF inspects federal firearms licensees (FFLs) to monitor their compliance with the GCA and to
prevent the diversion of firearms from legal to illegal channels of commerce. In the past, despite
its crime-fighting mission, ATF’s business relationships with the firearms industry and larger gunowning
community have been a perennial source of tension, which from time to time has been the
subject of congressional oversight.
Nevertheless, under current law, ATF Special Agents (SAs) and Industry Operations Investigators (IOIs) are authorized to inspect or examine the inventory and records of an FFL without search warrants under three scenarios:
• in the course of a reasonable inquiry during the course of a criminal investigation
of a person or persons other than the FFL;
• to ensure compliance with the record keeping requirements of the GCA—not
more than once during any 12-month period, or at any time with respect to
records relating to a firearm involved in a criminal investigation that is traced to
the licensee; or
• when such an inspection or examination is required for determining the
disposition of one or more firearms in the course of a criminal investigation.
By inspecting the firearms transfer records that FFLs are required by law to maintain, ATF
investigators are able to trace crime guns from their domestic manufacturer or importer to the first
retail dealer that sold those firearms to persons in the general public, generating leads in homicide
and other criminal investigations.
In addition, by inspecting those records, ATF investigators are often able to uncover evidence of corrupt FFLs transferring firearms “off the books,” straw purchases, and other patterns of suspicious behavior.