Posted on 11/11/2006 7:29:21 AM PST by Firefigher NC
FAYETTEVILLE — A Fayetteville militia member was arrested Wednesday by teams of special agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and other federal and state agencies and local police in connection with illegal firearms.
Fayetteville police Lt. Mike Reynolds said 14 search warrants were executed Wednesday in Fort Smith and Fayetteville and one of the warrants was for a lieutenant commander of the Militia of Washington County, Hollis “Wayne” Fincher, of 16085 East Black Oak Road. “We assisted ATF and several other agencies in arresting Fincher. I don’t believe he has a criminal history with us. That’s all I can tell you,” Reynolds said.
Washington County Sheriff Tim Helder said he couldn’t comment on the arrest or Fincher.
Fincher was arrested without incident at his residence, according to an ATF news release.
Senior ATF Special Agent Austin R. Banks said he was restricted to releasing anything beyond the news release. He did confirm Fincher has no criminal record and he was the only person arrested.
The arrest and search warrants were the result of an eight-month investigation relating to the unlawful manufacture, possession and transfer of machine guns, Banks said.
A machine gun that can fire 550 rounds a minute and assorted 9 mm Sten submachine guns are stored in the Washington County militia’s concrete and steel vault, according to information gathered from an interview conducted by The Morning News in March. Each weapon is stamped with the word “non-commercial” to prove the group holds the arms for militia purchases only and not for trade or sale.
Owners of automatic weapons must pay $200 to license each automatic weapon they own. Militia members avoided that by re-building government-destroyed automatic weapons for their own use, Paul Smith, militia commander said in March.
Fincher said in the March interview he believes Americans should proudly uphold the right to bear arms, stand up for land rights and not always accept the federal government as the supreme law of the land.
“What we’ve got to do today is hold our ground,” Fincher said in March.
According to the militia’s Web site, the headquarters is down the road from Fincher’s address at 15566 E. Black Oak Road. The militia was formed July 4, 1994.
Thirteen additional federal search warrants were executed at different places in the Fort Smith-Fayetteville area, Banks said. The warrants are under seal at the direction of the U.S. Attorney for the Western Judicial District of Arkansas. All evidence seized during the execution of the warrants will be submitted to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the preparation of indictments in this investigation.
ATF, FBI, Washington County Sheriff’s Department, Fayetteville Police Department, Springdale Police Department, Arkansas State Police, Arkansas State Bomb Squad and the Madison County Sheriff’s Department participated in the investigation.
The investigation was conducted under Project Safe Neighborhoods, the U.S. Department of Justice initiative that combines federal, state and local resources to combat violent gun crime. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Arkansas will prosecute the case.
Yep, just like a bunch of meat in a room full of cats. Hmm were did I hear that? Oh Yea, one of Osama's Butt Buddies, Sheikh Taj el-Din al-Hilali of Australia.
If you take out uncovered meat and place it outside... and the cats come and eat it... whose fault is it, the cats' or the uncovered meat?" he asked.
The uncovered meat is the problem, he went on to say.
"If she was in her room, in her home, in her hijab, no problem would have occurred," he added.
If that guy just hadn't be exercising a right of the people, the BATFE would have left him alone... well unless he was making some hooch or something, at least there's no enumerated right to do that.
Look, I agree on the right, but the reality on the ground is that exercising it in that way, will get you in deep doo-doo.
Do you REALLY want to try and excuse that kind of blatant, Rights destroying asshattery?
Shall not be infringed.
It ain't rocket surgery.
I'm not excusing squat, Mr. Keyboard Commando.
You run along now, and get your Sten, and advertize it to the world, since you're so gung ho, Mr. Rocket Scientist.
"They are supposed to be using the money to go after terrorists, which this guy most assuredly is not."
Tell me, sir...just who gets to define who is a "terrorist"?
Trust your government...
The Congress has defined it for legal purposes. This guy doesn't fit the definition.
Title 22 of the US Code, Section 2656f(d): Title 22 of the US Code, Section 2656f(d):
—The term “terrorism” means premeditated, politically motivated violence perpetrated against noncombatant targets by subnational groups or clandestine agents, usually intended to influence an audience.
—The term “international terrorism” means terrorism involving the territory or the citizens of more than one country.
—The term “terrorist group” means any group that practices, or has significant subgroups that practice, international terrorism.
Trust your government...
Killing and stopping terrorists is one of the things we pay them for. However
Which is just what we are doing, isn't it?
The right to keep and bear arms is protected so that a well-regulated militia can exist. But the right protected belongs not any militia, but to the people. Of course the militia are the people, wearing their military hat, just as the Posse is the people wearing their police hat.
Make sure to put up a vanity thread here on FR, and ping me to it, when you decide to go out in a blaze of "glory."
Arming up and BLOATing is one thing.
Being brain-dead stupid about it, over some Stens, is another.
The Constitution does not limit the right to bear arms to non-criminals.
Logically American Muslims have as much of a right to self-defense as the rest of us. I would of course be very uncomfortable with a militia of Muslims buying AK's then talking about Allah and vindication, but then I would rest assured that I am well prepared to take out anybody who oversteps their natural rights and infringes on mine.
*Sten gun*
I had to fire a Sten during training years ago. THAT'S a dangerous little auto!
One never knew if it would quit firing after the trigger was released.
It was like a slow-motion grenade............FRegards
All my firearms are currently legal. If Kennedy gets his ammo "performance standards" change for his "armor piering" definition, almost everything I have become instantly illegal.
What then smart ass?
Look, if you think it's time to go challenge The Man over new full-auto weapons, that have been illegal for almost 25 years, go for it.
"What then", in your hypothetical case, will have to be determined at the time. It shouldn't be discussed here, and can't under the FR Terms of Use.
"Freedom"Poster? More like GovernmentApologizer.
Being brain-dead stupid about it, over some Stens, is another.
Stupid about Stens? -- That's the question.
As I commented at #30:
Appears to me that they intend to challenge the NFA of '34 in court, - on the constitutional grounds that an 'unorganized' militia can possess full auto weapons as per the 2nd.
Incredibly enough, some FReepers think this is crazy.. To me it's crazy to believe the '34 'act' is constitutional. -- Do you?
Friends defend militia leader arrested by feds
BY KATE WARD Northwest Arkansas Times
Posted on Friday, November 10, 2006
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/nwat/News/46955/
Friends of a Washington County Militia leader accused of possessing illegal firearms are rallying to show their support for him.
Hollis " Wayne" Fincher, 60, of 16085 E. Black Oak Road in Fayetteville was released from the Washington County Jail on Thursday and is being held for federal authorities at an undisclosed location. He is scheduled to appear at a 1: 30 p. m. hearing Monday in U. S. District Court in Fort Smith.
Fincher was arrested Wednesday after an eightmonth investigation related to the unlawful manufacture, possession and transfer of fully automatic guns.
The arrest became fodder for local talk radio and boiled over Thursday evening at the Washington County Quorum Court meeting when Washington County Judge Jerry Hunton spoke prior to the meeting, defending himself against charges made on local radio earlier in the date that Hunton was involved in Fincher's arrest. Hunton denied any involvement.
Don Bright, a local resident known as a regular contributor to talk radio shows, stood up and said Hunton was referring to his comments earlier in the day. He called Hunton " a liar. " As a yelling match ensued, Bright was escorted from the meeting by Sheriff Tim Helder and a deputy, but was not arrested. Bright, contacted by phone later, said he had no comment.
" I heard that Don Bright was on the radio this morning saying that [I ] caused this whole investigation, " Hunton said in an interview earlier Thursday. " That's completely untrue.
There was a whole story on Wayne in the newspaper with a picture of him cradling a machine gun. I think that picture probably got the attention of authorities and that's probably how this thing got started. "
Teams of special agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and other agencies executed 14 search warrants in an early-morning operation Wednesday throughout the Fort Smith and Fayetteville area. The warrants are under seal at the direction of the U. S. Attorney's Office.
The evidence seized will be submitted to the U. S. Attorney's Office for the preparation of indictments.
Jay Cole, a local pastor known for his television commercials encouraging viewers to follow God, said Fincher is not a violent man.
" I don't believe Wayne would do that, " Cole said. " He's given me paper work and he's published things in the paper about what his group does. He's not hiding anything — he's interested in protecting the rights of the citizens. If there's anyone who's not violent, it's Wayne Fincher. "
Hunton, interviewed Thursday before the flareup with Bright, said Fincher hasn't been any trouble as far as he knows.
" The only dealings I've had with Wayne is when he's come to Quorum Court to express his opinion on different issues, " he said. " Wayne obviously has a strong opinion about property rights, but I've always found him to be fairly cordial. He was a little out of line at one meeting, but the more I've gotten to know him, he's become pretty courteous. "
The Washington County Militia is headquartered down the road from Fincher's residence at 15566 E. Black Oak Road —about 5. 5 miles south of Huntsville Road. According to its Web site, http: // www. arkansasmilitia. com, the group has been active since 1994 and is committed to " defending liberty and serving Washington County."
The organization holds a weekly muster every Friday evening at 7 p. m. that is open to the public.
" Wayne and his wife used to go to our church and they used to have their meetings down the road at Ozark Electric until they built their new headquarters, " Cole said. I've known Wayne for a long time and he wouldn't hurt a fly. "
Cole's son, Jay Cole Jr., said he too, is a close friend of Fincher's.
" Wayne's primarily an educator on constitutional issues, " he said. " He's not planning to shoot anyone —he's planning to tell people about their needs. Their God-given rights are being violated and someone needs to do something about it. "
Johnny Tittle, host of a local radio talk show, said his Thursday morning talk show centered on Fincher's arrest.
" We went the whole two hours talking about it because that's what my callers wanted to talk about, " he said. " I've known Wayne for a long time and there are some things that are puzzling about this whole thing.
The group that arrested him have known about those particular elements for six years.
[Fincher ] notified the ATF, FBI, state Attorney General, governor and local police about what he was doing.
They haven't done anything wrong that they're trying to hide. "
Tittle said Fincher is a regular caller on his radio show.
" There's not a more peaceful, law-abiding man —he's never broken the law, " Tittle said.
Despite local support, authorities say Fincher violated federal laws and should face the consequences.
" Sometimes these operations may seem innocent to the general public, but these people haven't taken responsibility to have such weapons okayed, " said ATF Special Agent Austin Banks.
" It presents a threat to the community.... I believe [the investigation ] got very dangerous weapons out of the community and out of the hands of people who were not legally supposed to have them. "
Everyone at ATF right now was appointed by Janet Reno.
At the same time, the US government (Especially the Democrats) has an urck to drastically shrink the size of the military (Prevent military coups), increase the size of the federal police, and ban all firearms and impliment the Nancy Pelosi agenda.
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