“But They’re Not Allowed To Know!”

     If you have firearms, the federal government knows about it:

     The homeowner was alerted there were trespassers on his property by motion detectors outside his front door. A live video feed from his doorbell camera showed three armed men wearing tactical vests, t-shirts and jeans. Two appeared to be ATF agents. The third was a Delaware State Police trooper. None wore body cameras.

     That would get my attention, too. But why were they there?

     The homeowner confronted the three men before they reached the door. “Can I help you?” he asked, stepping onto the porch.

     The older ATF agent told him they were assigned to a task force investigating straw purchases. A straw purchase – a federal felony – occurs when someone buys a firearm on behalf of another person, who is unable to legally purchase a firearm themselves.

     The agent said they were verifying that people who bought multiple firearms still had the guns in their possession. The homeowner had bought seven firearms since January 2022.

     A “straw purchase” – purchasing a gun for transfer to someone not legally allowed to buy it – is a serious crime. But note that no “straw purchase” had occurred. The ATF goons were “investigating” a crime that had not taken place. Here’s a snippet of the dialogue that took place:

Agent 1: “All I’m doing is verifying that you have it, you got two different purchases. If you have them, I’m out of here. That’s how quick it is. Yeah. Do you have them with you by any chance?”

Homeowner: “They’re in my safe.”

Agent 1: “If you can unload them and bring them out. We can go out to your foyer here, check them out, write the serial numbers and we’re out of here.”

     Do you think the list “Agent 1” had in his hands will now be destroyed? Next week? Next month? Do you think it’s the one and only copy? No backups on government servers?

     There is a federal firearms registry. They know. The requirement for a background check ensures that they know – and it’s pure self-deluding fantasy to think they’ll ever dispose of the information. Whether they share the information with state and / or local governments is unknown, but I wouldn’t bet against it.

     When armed men come to a private citizen’s doorstep without a warrant alleging some crime, whatever that citizen does from that point forward is under intimidation – coerced. His consent, in the eyes of the law, is not freely given. Yet it happens, law-abiding Americans give way before it, and nothing is done about it.

     When do the telescreens arrive? Do we have to install them ourselves?