Back when it was the BATF I attended a high-end gun show in Tennessee. There were hundreds of venders. A BATF team was walking around as we set up. At the front was a man with really exotic $5,000 antique guns. Suddenly they were shouting at him. They threw cuffs on him, then while he watched they brought a trash bin over and purposely slammed these $5,000 antiques into the bin. It was obvious they were causing damage on purpose. I asked my Uncle, who was a small individual dealer, what was going on and he said, “It’s intimidation. They’re just keeping everybody in line. They’ll release him at the end of the show and give him his guns back.” That’s exactly what they did. It was one of the most astonishing things I’d ever witnessed.
I’ll tell you though, the BATF really pissed the dealers off. My feeling was if there was something they could do to pull one over on them, even if they wouldn’t have done it before they’d do it now. There were state tax revenuers walking the show. The dealers, including my uncle, would wait until the tax guys were tied up and then pack and vamoose. I’d wager they collected only a small percentage of the tax. Granted that wasn’t a BATF thing, but the BATF’s actions set the atmosphere. Everybody was darned angry.
That was a lesson in what the BATF really is; essentially a terrorist organization with badges.
I was at a gun show in Pasadena, TX when a guy came up to one of the venders and wanted to buy a Luger with no papers.
The dealer said he couldn’t do it.
The guy then offered him an additional $500 if he would sell with no papers.
The dealer said no.
The guy then offered an additional $1000 for no papers.
I was standing at the table next to him and heard what he was doing so I acted like I knew him.
I approached him stuck out my hand and shook his hand and asked him how the ATF had been treating him.
Wonder why he left the show?