{"id":2026393,"date":"2023-09-08T21:08:02","date_gmt":"2023-09-09T01:08:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/atf-raid-on-oklahoma-man-is-warning-for-home-based-gun-dealers-to-be-vigilant-lawyer-says\/"},"modified":"2023-09-08T21:11:59","modified_gmt":"2023-09-09T01:11:59","slug":"atf-raid-on-oklahoma-man-is-warning-for-home-based-gun-dealers-to-be-vigilant-lawyer-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/atf-raid-on-oklahoma-man-is-warning-for-home-based-gun-dealers-to-be-vigilant-lawyer-says\/","title":{"rendered":"Lawyer warns home-based gun dealers to stay vigilant after ATF raid on Oklahoma man."},"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\">28<\/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%2Fatf-raid-on-oklahoma-man-is-warning-for-home-based-gun-dealers-to-be-vigilant-lawyer-says%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=2026393&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>A Houston, Texas-based lawyer specializing in Second Amendment law said the story of an Oklahoma\u200d man who had 50\u200d guns confiscated is indicative of \u200dthe new \u201czero tolerance\u201d\u200c policy of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives \u200d(ATF).<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey want to make the right to keep and bear arms as difficult as possible,\u201d <strong>Richard D. Hayes II<\/strong> told\u2062 <em>The Epoch Times<\/em>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<h3>Meet Richard D.\u2062 Hayes II<\/h3>\n<p>Mr. Hayes is an attorney with the firm of Walker and Taylor in Houston. He is \u2064also co-host of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@ArmedAttorneys\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Armed\u2063 Attorneys<\/a> YouTube channel.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"shortcode\">\n<div class=\"border-comp-divider mb-4 mr-4 w-full max-w-[500px] border px-5 py-4 text-[16px] leading-[20px] text-[#262626] md:float-left\" id=\"in_article_related_stories\">\n<div class=\"mb-3 font-sans text-[16px] font-semibold uppercase leading-[19px] text-[#2F2F2F]\">Related Stories<\/div>\n<div class=\"mb-4 flex gap-2\">\n<div class=\"grow\">\n<div class=\"mb-1 line-clamp-2\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/in-depth-atf-agents-carrying-rifles-raid-oklahoma-gun-dealers-home-confiscate-guns-5486650\">IN-DEPTH: \u200cATF Agents Carrying Rifles Raid Oklahoma Gun Dealer&#8217;s \u2063Home, Confiscate Guns<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"text-comp-caption text-[14px] leading-[18px]\">9\/6\/2023<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"shrink-0 basis-[120px]\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/in-depth-atf-agents-carrying-rifles-raid-oklahoma-gun-dealers-home-confiscate-guns-5486650\"><\/a><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"mb-4 flex gap-2\">\n<div class=\"grow\">\n<div class=\"mb-1 line-clamp-2\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/gun-rights-group-sues-atf-over-machine-gun-classification-rule-5456449\">Gun Rights Group Sues ATF Over Machine-Gun Classification Rule<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"text-comp-caption text-[14px] leading-[18px]\">8\/10\/2023<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"shrink-0 basis-[120px]\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/gun-rights-group-sues-atf-over-machine-gun-classification-rule-5456449\"><\/a><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The ATF is offering Russell \u200bFincher less than 2 percent of the estimated value of the guns (according to Epoch Times research) they took during a \u2062June 16, 2023, raid on his Tuskahoma, Oklahoma, home.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is not the\u2064 America we signed up for,\u201d\u2062 Mr. Fincher told \u200b <em>The Epoch Times<\/em>.<\/p>\n<div style=\"margin-left:0;margin-right:0;max-width:1200px\">\n<figure style=\"width:639px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto\" class=\"aligncenter\"><figcaption>ATF agents inventory firearms\u200c they confiscated from Russell Fincher of Tuskahoma, Oklahoma, on June 16, 2023. (Courtesy of Russell Fincher)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The ATF did not respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode post-related-videos\">\n<div class=\"lazyload-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"lazyload-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>According \u200bto Fincher, seven carloads of \u2064armed\u200b ATF agents raided his property on June 16. They handcuffed him\u200c and questioned him and his 13-year-old son before\u2063 taking 50 firearms. His son\u200b was not handcuffed during the operation.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c[The ATF] said they haven\u2019t decided whether to \u200bcharge\u200d me yet,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Hayes said it is almost certain that the ATF has some\u2063 criminal charge in mind. Stressing that \u2062he had not seen the search warrant, he said he \u200dcould only\u200d answer general questions. But he also pointed out that as a\u2064 practicing attorney\u200d he is familiar with how the ATF operates.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<h2>Paying For Evidence?<\/h2>\n<p>According to Mr. Hayes, search warrants \u2063must specify what agents are searching for. To \u200dget a warrant, the\u200c agents would have had to specify a possible crime they were investigating and how \u2063the \u2063property was related to\u200c that alleged crime. Recently, that standard has\u2062 loosened somewhat, he said.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The ATF sent Mr. Fincher a list of the 50 confiscated firearms. The agency offered to pay $10 for each gun he voluntarily forfeits. He expressed some confusion over the \u2064offer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen did the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/atf-raid-on-oklahoma-man-is-warning-for-home-based-gun-dealers-to-be-vigilant-lawyer-says\/\" title=\"Lawyer warns home-based gun dealers to stay vigilant after ATF raid on Oklahoma man.\">police start paying people<\/a> for\u200b evidence?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n<p>The \u200bEpoch Times researched the guns on\u200b the list through <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/second-amendment-advocates-fear-biden-admin-will-restrict-private-gun-sales\/\" title=\"Second Amendment supporters worry about potential restrictions on private gun sales under the Biden administration.\">online gun sales<\/a> and conservatively estimated the \u200cvalue of the firearms to be about $35,700. This makes the ATF\u2019s\u2062 $500 offer 1.4 percent of the\u200c estimated value.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<h2>Lower Receivers on the List<\/h2>\n<p>For example, a Winchester 1906 Rifle was listed as low as $500\u200d for an\u2063 older rifle\u2063 with significant \u2063wear and as high\u2062 as $2,000 for a mint condition \u200dgun.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Since it is unknown what condition Mr. Fincher\u2019s rifle was in or what he paid for it, The Epoch Times set a value of $1,250, the midpoint in the $500 to $2,000 price range. Similar estimates \u200bwere made for other \u200cfirearms on the \u200dlist.<\/p>\n<p>It is also interesting that\u2063 the list includes two \u2062AR-15 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/what-is-a-ghost-gun-and-how-are-they-regulated\/\" title=\"What Is A \u2018Ghost Gun\u2019 And How Are They Regulated?\">lower receivers<\/a>. While \u2064they only bring $160 online, the significance is that the ATF classifies the gun parts as firearms even though they are incapable of \u200cfiring any shots.<\/p>\n<p>The lower receiver is the bottom half of an AR-15 rifle \u2064and includes the stock, trigger assembly housing, the magazine well, and the pistol \u2063grip.<\/p>\n<p>It does not include the bolt, firing pin, barrel, gas tube, or other parts necessary for \u2063a functioning rifle. The \u200dATF has changed the definition of a firearm to include the lower receivers, which\u200b places them under its jurisdiction.<\/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=\"aligncenter\"><figcaption>Russell Fincher stands on the porch \u2062of his home in Tuskahoma, Oklahoma on Sept. 1, 2023. (Michael Clements\/The Epoch\u2062 Times)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Mr. Fincher said the agents didn\u2019t take all\u200d his guns. He said they appeared to be selecting certain firearms.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey were going through the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/facebook-temporarily-bans-ads-for-weapons-accessories-ahead-of-inauguration-day\/\" title=\"Facebook Temporarily Bans Ads for Weapons Accessories Ahead of Inauguration Day\">gun safes<\/a> saying, \u2018Oh man, look at this one,\u2019 or, \u2018Hey, \u200dlook at this,\u2019\u201d\u2063 Mr. Fincher said.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Hayes\u200b said the fact that \u200cthey left some firearms with a person they ostensibly believe is guilty of \u2062a crime is \u201cpuzzling.\u201d But, he added that the agents likely didn\u2019t choose what to \u200dtake and what to \u2064leave behind haphazardly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere might be an explanation for\u2064 it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<h2>Authority Set By Statute<\/h2>\n<p>At least part of that explanation may be in the paperwork the \u2062ATF gave Mr. Fincher.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The inventory list includes the statutes that provide the authority to seize the guns. The statutes allow the\u200d seizure of\u2063 property for unpaid taxes, customs law violations, failure to properly document firearms transactions, providing guns to \u200cminors,\u200b trafficking firearms, committing crimes with guns near a school, and a laundry list of other offenses.<\/p>\n<p>The laws also outline what the agency\u2064 can do\u200c with the seized firearms. This includes selling them, destroying them, giving them to other agencies, and even using the guns for their work.<\/p>\n<p>One of the laws allows an agency to \u200cpay an informant 25 percent\u200b of the appraised value of property seized up to $250,000. This \u2064is especially interesting in light of Mr. Fincher&#8217;s encounter with an \u2064ATF operative.<\/p>\n<p>Days before\u2062 the raid, a man was in Mr. Fincher\u2019s small store in Clayton, Oklahoma. He said the man, who had a \u2063large \u200ctattoo on his neck, was acting \u201cweird.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<h2>Can&#8217;t\u200b Sell\u2063 Guns To Felons<\/h2>\n<p>He began pressing Mr. Fincher to sell him a gun. When it appeared \u2062he might successfully purchase \u200ca firearm, the man with the neck tattoo announced that he was a convicted felon.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\u201cI told him I would not sell him a gun \u2064because that\u2019s\u200c illegal. I can\u2019t sell guns to a convicted \u200dfelon,\u201d Mr. Fincher said.<\/p>\n<p>The man bought a box of ammunition and left.<\/p>\n<p>The would-be gun buyer called \u200ca\u2064 couple of days later and tried again. Mr. Fincher refused \u2064again. The agents that raided his property asked him why he didn\u2019t sell the self-identified \u2064felon a gun, confirming the ATF had sent him, Mr. Fincher said.<\/p>\n<p>Mr<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A Houston lawyer, focused on Second Amendment law, claims an Oklahoma man&#8217;s case of having 50 guns seized reflects the ATF&#8217;s new &#8220;zero tolerance&#8221; approach. He believes the agency aims to complicate gun ownership rights, making it as challenging as they can.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1615,"featured_media":2026394,"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-2026393","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\/2026393","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=2026393"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2026393\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2026394"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2026393"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2026393"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2026393"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}