{"id":2023224,"date":"2023-09-06T10:08:02","date_gmt":"2023-09-06T14:08:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/in-depth-atf-agents-carrying-rifles-raid-oklahoma-gun-dealers-home-confiscate-guns\/"},"modified":"2023-09-06T10:13:35","modified_gmt":"2023-09-06T14:13:35","slug":"in-depth-atf-agents-carrying-rifles-raid-oklahoma-gun-dealers-home-confiscate-guns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/in-depth-atf-agents-carrying-rifles-raid-oklahoma-gun-dealers-home-confiscate-guns\/","title":{"rendered":"ATF Agents Raid Oklahoma Gun Dealer&#8217;s Home, Seize Guns"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fin-depth-atf-agents-carrying-rifles-raid-oklahoma-gun-dealers-home-confiscate-guns%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2023224&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div data-post-content=\"true\" class=\"post_content\" id=\"post_content\">\n<p>TUSKAHOMA, Okla.\u2014As agents \u200cfrom the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives \u2062(ATF)\u2063 left Russell Fincher\u2019s house with 50 legally-owned firearms and\u2063 his freshly relinquished Federal Firearms License (FFL), they offered him a\u2062 tip.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey said, \u2018Tell \u2064all your FFL friends we\u2019re coming for \u200bthem next,\u2019\u201d Mr. Fincher told The Epoch Times.<\/p>\n<p>An ATF spokesman said he could not comment on the June 16, \u20622023, raid \u2062at Mr. Fincher\u2019s home in Tuskahoma, Oklahoma.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cWe \u2063are not allowed to comment pertaining to ongoing investigations. I can assure you once we can discuss the case, you \u200cwill be notified,\u201d Ashley N. Stephens, resident \u200dAgent in Charge of the ATF\u2019s Tulsa Field Office, wrote\u200b in an email to The Epoch Times.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h2>Coordinated Effort to Throttle\u200b Legal Gun Sales<\/h2>\n<p>According to Second Amendment advocacy groups, the\u2062 raid indicates\u2063 a coordinated effort by President Joe Biden\u2019s administration to throttle legal gun sales to advance\u2064 a gun control agenda.<\/p>\n<div style=\"margin-left:0;margin-right:0;max-width:1200px\">\n<figure style=\"width:640px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto\" class=\"alignnone\"><figcaption>Oklahoma state\u2064 Rep. J.J. Humphrey wants a\u2062 probe into a June 16 \u2062ATF raid. He is shown at a political rally on the steps of\u2063 the Oklahoma State Capitol\u2062 in Oklahoma City on May 9, 2023. (Michael Clements\/The Epoch Times)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Oklahoma state Rep. J.J. \u200bHumphrey is incensed over the raid.<\/p>\n<h3>Investigation Demanded<\/h3>\n<p>He\u200b wrote to Oklahoma Gov. Kevin\u2064 Stitt, Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond, and Pushmataha County Sheriff B.J. Hedgecock on Aug.\u200c 17, demanding an investigation.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Humphrey told The Epoch Times\u200c that there is a legal term\u2064 for what the ATF did to get\u2062 Mr. Fincher to give\u200b up his FFL.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s called \u2063extortion. The mob \u200ddoes it, criminals do it, and when you have a badge, that makes \u200dit \u2063worse,\u201d\u2062 Mr. Humphrey \u200dsaid.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Stitt\u2019s office did not respond to emails or telephone calls seeking\u200b comment.<\/p>\n<p>Spokespersons for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/breaking-ag-barr-authorizes-federal-prosecutors-to-pursue-substantial-allegations-of-voting-irregularities-before-2020-election-is-certified\/\" title=\"BREAKING: AG Barr Authorizes Federal Prosecutors to Pursue \"Substantial Allegations\" of Voting Irregularities Before 2020 Election is Certified\">attorney general<\/a>\u200b and Mr. Hedgecock said they are looking into the matter.<\/p>\n<p>Phil Bacharach, \u2062a spokesman for the\u200b attorney general,\u2064 confirmed that Mr. Drummond had seen the letter.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cWe have received Rep. Humphrey\u2019s request and are reviewing it,\u201d Mr. Bacharach wrote in an email to\u2064 The Epoch Times.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h2>Attorney General\u200d Reviewing Letter<\/h2>\n<p>Pushmataha County Undersheriff Dustin Bray said his\u2064 office has the letter also. He said they plan to\u200c look into the \u200bmatter further \u2062but have been focused on an Aug. 29 murder in Antlers, Oklahoma, Pushmataha\u2019s county seat.<\/p>\n<p>While it\u2019s unusual for\u2063 an agency\u2062 to run such an\u2062 operation without notifying local law enforcement, Mr. \u2062Bray said\u2062 it does happen. He stressed\u2062 that the\u200b ATF is \u2062under no legal obligation to\u2062 tell anyone. He added\u2064 that the sheriff\u2019s office would have no official comment until it had more information.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe actually didn\u2019t have a clue that they were coming. We didn\u2019t find out until everybody else did,\u201d Mr. Bray told The Epoch Times.\u200c \u201cWe will try to \u2064get in contact with\u2063 someone.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<h2>Life in Tuskahoma<\/h2>\n<p>The Fincher home is perched on the side of \u200da hill in an unincorporated area \u2064of Pushmataha County. The\u200b sparsely\u2062 populated county \u2063is popular\u2062 with boaters and fishermen who \u2062ply the waters of Sardis Lake.<\/p>\n<p>In\u2063 the fall, the county and \u2064its Kiamichi Mountains are populated by hunters tramping the hills for white-tailed\u200b deer.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Mr. Fincher said Pushmataha County \u200bhas \u200bbeen the perfect place to raise his family.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe love it here,\u201d he said, standing in front of his house on a late \u2064August afternoon.<\/p>\n<p>Like many of his rural Oklahoma neighbors, part\u200c of his enjoyment of the outdoors involves \u2062firearms. In\u200d addition to traditional activities like hunting\u200d and target shooting, Mr. Fincher \u2063enjoys spending time with \u2062other \u2064firearms \u2062enthusiasts. So, \u2062he and his brother often attend gun shows in and around Oklahoma.<\/p>\n<p>Contrary to what many believe, there is no \u201cgun show loophole\u201d\u200b allowing \u2063the sale of firearms by gun dealers\u2064 with no\u200d background checks.<\/p>\n<p>However, private \u2063transactions are and \u2064have always been legal regardless \u200dof \u2062when\u2062 or \u2063where they occur. If\u200b each party in the transaction can legally own a gun, the sale or trade of legal firearms is \u2064allowed under the law.<\/p>\n<p>Several years ago, Mr. Fincher legally traded a gun during \u2062a gun show. That transaction would \u200breturn to haunt him, he said.<\/p>\n<div style=\"margin-left:0;margin-right:0;max-width:1200px\">\n<figure style=\"width:640px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto\" class=\"alignnone\"><figcaption>Russell Fincher stands in \u2062front of his\u2064 house in\u2064 Tuskahoma, Okla., on Sept. 1, 2023.\u2064 (Michael Clements\/The Epoch Times)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Mr. Fincher identifies himself as a Southern Baptist pastor, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/in-depth-atf-agents-carrying-rifles-raid-oklahoma-gun-dealers-home-confiscate-guns\/\" title=\"ATF Agents Raid Oklahoma Gun Dealer's Home, Seize Guns\">high school\u200c history teacher<\/a>, youth sports coach, and small business owner who has always tried to be responsible. He said he \u2063is scrupulous when it comes to complying with the law.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t think\u200d I\u2019ve had a\u2062 speeding \u200cticket in the past 20 or 25 years,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Still,\u200b as a regular gun show attendee, Mr. Fincher drew the \u2064attention of\u2063 the ATF. He said the agency advised\u200d him\u2062 to obtain an FFL based on how much he traded\u2064 at the shows. So, in 2020, he became a licensed firearms dealer, believing \u200dit\u2064 would help him avoid trouble.<\/p>\n<p>While \u2062the\u2063 new designation came with storage requirements and administrative responsibilities, Mr. Fincher also said there were some benefits. He was able to\u2063 help friends and neighbors\u200d with their legal purchases. As an FFL holder, he could obtain some\u2064 discounts and\u2062 special pricing in addition to arranging for the shipment of\u200d his own gun purchases.<\/p>\n<p>He said he never sold guns out of his home. His most\u200b common transactions were through online sales and \u200carranging\u200d the transfer of firearms for \u2063people in his community.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<h2>&#8216;I Was\u2063 Small Potatoes&#8217;<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cThe only way I was really going to find an audience was through [online sales],\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Fincher already had \u200ba small store to sell ammunition in the nearby town of Clayton. He briefly considered moving\u200c his gun business into the store. But\u200b that would require building renovation and more paperwork \u200dto transfer the FFL \u200dto the store\u2019s address. Since he had no desire to be a full-time dealer, he decided to keep the gun business in his\u200d home.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\u201cI was never a big dealer. Some dealers have hundreds of guns on their books, but I never had more than 90. I was small potatoes,\u201d Mr. Fincher\u200c said. \u201cThere were a lot of shows when I made no money. You just did it because\u200b you liked the experience.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He knew the importance of keeping\u200b accurate records and following the ATF rules. He said he had no concerns over his ATF paperwork,\u2063 having done his best to follow all the rules. So, when he was contacted for \u2062a regular inspection in April 2023, he quickly agreed.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>He said the two ATF agents were\u200d professional and polite. They looked over his gun safes and inspected\u2064 his records, making a few notes. Not long \u200bafter, he received a letter \u2063that found fault with some entries. Some were difficult to decipher, and a serial \u200cnumber for one pistol had not been recorded correctly.<\/p>\n<h2>ATF Adopts &#8216;Zero Tolerance&#8217;<\/h2>\n<p>The average person may consider these simple clerical errors. It is important to note that this inspection was \u200cperformed under \u2063the\u200d ATF\u2019s \u201czero tolerance\u201d policy. Second Amendment proponents say the Biden administration is on a campaign to end the legal firearms trade\u2064 in the United States.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<h2>ATF Takes Harsher Stance<\/h2>\n<p>Gun Owners of\u2064 America (GOA) and the Gun Owners Foundation (GOF) claim in a lawsuit filed in July \u2064that the policy\u200c is to\u2063 advance the Biden administration\u2019s anti-Second Amendment agenda.\u200c The gun rights\u200d groups sued the ATF, the\u200d Department of Justice, and \u2064ATF Director\u200b Stephen Dettelbach over\u2063 the policy (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.gunowners.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/Morehouse-II-complaint-final.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">pdf<\/a>).<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>GOA contends that\u200d on Jan. 28, 2022, the ATF issued a revised\u2064 Administrative Action\u200c Policy (AAP) \u200ctitled \u200d\u201cFederal Firearms Administrative Policy and Procedures,\u201d replacing\u200c a 2019 AAP.<\/p>\n<p>GOA claims that the 2019 policy gave FFL holders\u2063 some leeway for minor violations, but\u2062 the January 2022 \u200dpolicy takes a more stringent approach.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe 2019 AAP\u200b stated \u2062that \u2018ATF may revoke a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/new-dc-gun-dealer-sees-business-boom-after-overcoming-city-roadblocks\/\" title=\"New DC Gun Dealer Sees Business Boom After Overcoming City Roadblocks\u00a0\">federal firearms license<\/a> under appropriate circumstances,'&#8221; the lawsuit states. &#8220;The 2022 AAP states that \u2018ATF will\u2063 revoke a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/new-york-state-police-ammunition-background-check-system-will-be-online-sept-13\/\" title=\"NY State Police: Ammo Background Check System Online Sept. 13\">federal firearms\u200c license<\/a>, absent extraordinary circumstances \u2062on initial violations.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<h2>ATF Takes Harsher\u200b Stance<\/h2>\n<p>GOA pointed out that in the past, the ATF looked for \u2064evidence of \u201cwillfulness\u201d in violations by gun dealers. That has changed, the lawsuit states.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe 2019 AAP\u2063 stated that &#8230; \u2018[a] single, or even a few, inadvertent \u200berrors &#8230; may not\u200b amount\u2063 to\u2062 \u2018willful\u2019\u2062 failures, even \u200dwhen\u200d the FFL knew \u200bof the\u200b legal requirement.\u2019 The\u200c 2022 \u2064AAP eliminates this language,\u2064 harshly warning \u2064that \u2018ATF does not have to establish a history of prior violations,\u2019\u201d the lawsuit reads.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>According to GOA, the ATF\u2019s \u200bstatistics from fiscal \u200cyear 2022 \u2064show the agency\u2019s hostility toward FFL holders.<\/p>\n<p>ATF records show 3,806 violations reported in fiscal 2022 among firearm licensees, 606 warning letters issued, 131 warning conferences, and 93 revocations.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>According\u2062 to the ATF <a href=\"https:\/\/www.atf.gov\/rules-and-regulations\/enhanced-regulatory-enforcement-policy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">website<\/a>, five FFL revocations occurred in 2021 between July and December. There were 51 revocations reported for the same period in 2022.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>While the\u2064 ATF agents that raided Mr. Fincher\u2019s property didn\u2019t specifically mention\u200c the \u2062previous inspection,\u200b Mr. Fincher\u2062 said \u2062that in \u2064the weeks before the raid, the\u200d ATF was looking for\u2063 a reason to pay him another \u200cvisit.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<h2>Felon Asks For Gun<\/h2>\n<p>Just days \u2063before the armed agents showed up at his home, a man was in his ammo store acting \u201cweird.\u201d The man was not the usual rancher,\u200c outdoorsman, or\u200c hunter\u200c that normally patronized his business. Mr.\u200d Fincher didn\u2019t know \u200dthe \u2064man, sporting a prominent neck\u200b tattoo and appearing nervous.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\u201cHe said, \u2018Man, I\u2019m walking around naked out \u200dthere.\u2019 At first, I \u200dwasn\u2019t sure what he meant,\u201d Mr. \u2064Fincher said.<\/p>\n<p>Then, the man asked if Mr. Fincher would sell \u2064him a gun.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI told him I don\u2019t sell\u200d guns from that store,\u201d Mr. Fincher said.<\/p>\n<p>The would-be customer\u200d pressed him, and Mr. Fincher agreed that he could sell him a gun. But he told him again that he didn\u2019t run the gun business from the store. Then, the prospective customer announced that he \u2064was a felon. Mr. Fincher \u2062said that bit of information made his \u200bdecision \u200bfor him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI told him I would\u200b not sell him a gun because that\u2019s illegal. I can\u2019t sell\u2064 guns to a convicted felon,\u201d Mr. Fincher said.<\/p>\n<p>The man with the neck tattoo bought a box of ammunition, which Mr. Fincher contends is not a crime, and left\u200c the store.<\/p>\n<div style=\"margin-left:0;margin-right:0;max-width:1200px\">\n<figure style=\"width:640px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto\" class=\"alignnone\"><figcaption>ATF Agents arrive on Russel Fincher&#8217;s \u200dproperty in\u200b Tuskahoma, Okla., on June 16, 2023. (Courtesy of Russell Fincher)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Federal\u200b law prohibits \u2063a felon from possessing ammunition \u2064but is silent on whether selling\u200c it is a\u2062 crime. Only six states require background\u2062 checks for \u2063ammunition sales, and\u200c Oklahoma is \u200cnot one of\u2064 them.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Fincher has not \u2064been charged with a crime at \u2064the time\u200b of\u200d this writing.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Fincher figured that refusing to sell the man a gun would end the matter. A few days later, the man with the\u200c neck tattoo called him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe asked, \u2018Have you thought about that?\u2019 And I\u200c said, \u2018No, I\u2019m not going to sell you\u2064 a gun. You\u2019re a \u2062felon,\u2019\u201d Mr. Fincher said.<\/p>\n<p>Then came the \u200cmorning of \u2063June 16, 2023.<\/p>\n<div style=\"margin-left:0;margin-right:0;max-width:1200px\">\n<figure style=\"width:640px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto\" class=\"alignnone\"><figcaption>ATF\u2062 agents \u200dinventory firearms\u2064 they confiscated from Russell Fincher of Tuskahoma, Okla., on June 16, 2023. (Courtesy of Russell Fincher)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>That\u200b morning, Mr. Fincher\u2019s 13-year-old son, Parker, was preparing to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/there-are-only-three-news-stories-that-matter-in-america-right-now\/\" title=\"There Are Only Three News Stories That Matter In America Right Now\">play video games<\/a> in his room.\u200c His mother and sister were not home. His Dad was wrapping\u200b up preparations for them to go to a gun show\u200c in Tulsa that day. Then \u200bthe telephone rang.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was a\u200d guy who wanted to\u200b know what time the\u2064 store was going \u2062to be\u2063 open. I told him we would not be open that\u200b day,\u201d Mr. Fincher said.<\/p>\n<p>He said the caller seemed a \u200blittle confused, \u2062then\u2062 said he would call back and \u2062hung up.\u200d About five minutes later, an ATF agent called and told\u2063 Mr. Fincher not to leave because \u200dthey\u2062 needed to discuss the serial number issue found during the inspection. Mr. Fincher said he had no reason to expect trouble. He told the caller he would wait for him.<\/p>\n<p>Within minutes, Mr. Fincher said he looked\u2062 out his window and saw seven or eight vehicles coming\u200b up his\u2062 driveway. They\u2064 spread across his front yard, and men in\u200d tactical gear and<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In TUSKAHOMA, Okla., ATF agents seized 50 legally-owned firearms and Russell Fincher&#8217;s Federal Firearms License. As they left, they warned Fincher that his FFL friends would be targeted next. An ATF spokesperson confirmed the incident.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1615,"featured_media":2023225,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2023224","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2023224","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1615"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2023224"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2023224\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2023225"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2023224"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2023224"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2023224"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}