A gun store in Albuquerque, New Mexico, has been raided by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) for selling forced reset triggers (FRTs) and pistols equipped with stabilizing devices.
The store, Shooters Den, was at the center of controversy last month for confiscating a gun owner’s privately manufactured firearms (PMF) for not having a serial number.
The owner, Anthony Stephen, called the ATF on the young gun owner. The ATF now has the firearm as “evidence,” but the ATF and police state that the young man broke no laws. It seems he is not the one at the center of the federal investigation.
The store informed the young man they would serialize the gun without his permission. That action would make it impossible for the man to regain his gun since he is under 21. A pistol can be owned by someone under 21 as long as they are over 18, but someone under 21 cannot complete a National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) check for a handgun. All serialized handgun transfers from an FFL must go through NICS.
In March, the ATF started looking into the gun store that has been open since 1986.
The ATF allegedly found a rifle with “illegal” devices attached. The Bureau seized that firearm from the shop and issued a warning to the owner. Mr. Stephen seems not to have heeded the ATF’s warning and continued to sell items that the ATF has deemed disallowed.
The ATF claims that the gun store sold AR-patterned firearms equipped with pistol stabilizing devices. The ATF issued a rule early this year that reclassified most pistols with braces as short-barreled rifles (SBRs). Although several organizations such as Gun Owners of America (GOA), Second Amendment Foundation (SAF), and Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) have injunctions against the ATF’s rule, it isn’t known if the gun store or the store’s owners are a member of any of the organizations.
The gun store was also selling FRTs. The ATF considers this device as a machine gun conversion device. Currently, Rare Breed Triggers has an injunction against the ATF from taking enforcement action against Rare Breed Triggers FRT-15 owners and sellers. The report did not specify what brand of FRTs the store was selling.
In addition to the braced pistols and FRTs, the ATF claims that the store was building firearms without the proper license. There are different types of federal firearms licenses (FFL). To make firearms, a store needs a Type 07 FFL. The store only had a Type 01 FFL, which only allowed the store to sell firearms.
The ATF also claims that Shooters Den was not completing background checks. Not conducting background checks could lead to an FFL being revoked, especially under President Biden’s zero-tolerance policy. The policy has seen a record number of FFLs revoked. This violation is one of the most severe offenses an FFL can make.
The FFL is also accused of not collecting taxes and not reporting taxes. According to the search warrant, the ATF made three controlled buys at the gun store. The government claims that the store sold something illegal to the undercover agents. Because of these buys, the ATF seized all the store’s guns, accessories, and records. According to the Google listing, the store is now permanently closed.
It isn’t clear what charges Mr. Stephen faces.
About John Crump
i am split over this article. i think it is ironic and somewhat funny that a ffl who confiscated a firearm from a legal citizen has its ffl license revoked by batfe for alleged offenses. on the other hand, we don’t have enough information to know for sure what batfe is doing to this ffl is legitimate or not. i dislike this ffl, but much more so dislike batfe.
Could it possibly be that you did not apply the standards of freedom and liberty to both the FFL and the young man that brought his unserialized firearm in for whatever purpose? Our freedom of Liberty ALWAYS TRUMPS (those that are aware will pick up on that) unconstitutional laws.
I think @gregs is just enjoying a little schadenfreude. After what this store did to the soldier (airman?) who built his own frankenglock, and per Crump it was the store owner Anthony Stephen who confiscated the pistol and called ATF, he deserves a little slap down. Maybe not loss of his store and inventory but certainly enough to learn a lesson. I mostly feel bad for the employees and customers.
I think you’re right. We used to call it ” getting your just desserts”.
“i think it is ironic and somewhat funny that a ffl who confiscated a firearm from a legal citizen has its ffl license revoked by batfe for alleged offenses.”
Karma is a bitch isn’t it!
One will never know what the batfe has on anyone. Those bastards will lead you down the primrose path until they play GOTCHA. They’ll only let out what they want and will leak your info to the commie press to try you in the court of public opinion. That goes for all those worthless anti- Constitution federal agencies! biden and his cronies will break any law they desire and try to push it until the Supreme court determines it’s unconstitutional. Then they’ll try something else. Look at the giveaway to the pukes that don’t think they have to pay their… Read more »
Another fantastic article Mr Crump. You and others I truly believe have no idea the Great value that you provide to society and the ongoing fight for freedom and liberty. Nor do I believe that most readers of your material understand the same or there would be more uprisings across the country denouncing the ATF and OUTRIGHT DEMANDING this murderous and criminal organization be disbanded and those who have violated the many criminal and civil violations of law be holy prosecuted and incarcerated in the supermax prisons that are tax dollars have so graciously provided.
What a strange business model. On one hand the proprietors go way out of their way to confiscate a man’s homemade firearm, then they knowingly sell items that aren’t quite kosher with the ATF to some customers? I would never, ever do my business there.
AN ACT OF WAR
Ya beat me to it!
At top of article we see that victim of the first crime (seizure of his “PMF”) still has not gotten his property back. WTF is AFT holding his pistol as evidence if no crime was committed? Is AFT going to charge Mr. Stephen (shop owner) with crime for misunderstanding AFT’s ill begotten “frames and receivers” rule (aka criminal LAW)? Don’t get me wrong as I abhor shop’s behavior toward the kid. I’d expect shop to face some consequence, but first step should have been correcting his misunderstanding and insisting shop return the property asap. Instead AFT seized the pistol and… Read more »
Enter DNA. Most gun owners can look at their firearms and see small microscopic flakes of their dead skin and bodily fluids on their firearms that can easily be tested against the true owner.
I think the victim of the first part should be “made whole” by a good samaritan, and then seek private assistance if it develops cycling problems.
This is just a case of the store owner reaping what he had sowed
Karma for stealing his gun. You rat people out to the gestapo, the gestapo turns on you. Karma.
Ayyyy Tea eFF had best bring their own body bags.
One by one this Terrorist Agency pounds away at the 2nd Amendment.
Now, they have all of the .223, and 5.56 ammo.
The FFL wanted to be a Nazi and now he’s getting the Nazi treatment.
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What goes around, comes around.